NWS Morehead City, NC

Our operations area is staffed 24 / 7 / 365 by at least 2 of our meteorologists. There are seven workstations that we rotate between, and this is where we create our forecasts and issue watches, warnings, and advisories for our CWA.

MHX is one of 92 NWS offices to participate in upper air observations. Twice a day, we launch a weather balloon with a radiosonde attached to the bottom. The radiosonde collects data on temperature, relative humidity, wind direction and speed, and other variables as it ascends nearly 20 miles into the atmosphere. This data is then used as input for weather models!

Prior to impending severe weather, offices may launch another balloon to get an updated glimpse of the atmosphere to improve their forecast. During hurricane season, the National Hurricane Center may request offices to release two additional balloons per day for the same reason. These additional balloons are called special launches. The more data, the better!

In addition to the well-known tornado, severe thunderstorm, and flash flood warnings, being a coastal office adds additional WWAs that could be issued for our CWA. These include (among others) coastal flood, gale, and high surf products. Our meteorologists also issue daily rip current risk forecasts.

During tropical and severe events, we collaborate WWAs with the meteorologists at the National Hurricane Center (Miami, FL) and Storm Prediction Center (Norman, OK). These products include (among others) Tornado Watches and Tropical Storm, Hurricane, and Storm Surge Watches and Warnings.

MHX generates terminal aerodrome forecasts (TAFs) for 4 airports in our CWA:

1. New Bern (KEWN)
2. Greenville (PGV)
3. Richlands (KOAJ)
4. Kinston (KISO)

TAFs are issued 4 times per day and are valid for 30 hours after issuance. The TAF includes forecast wind speed and direction, visibility, ceiling, and the type of precipitation and/or weather phenomenon (if applicable).

When hazardous weather is a concern, our partners may request DSS to increase their public safety efforts. Our meteorologists can provide DSS on-site or remotely from right here at MHX!

At MHX, we regularly provide DSS for emergency managers across eastern North Carolina.

In January of 1875, a second Weather Bureau Office was established at the Kitty Hawk Life Saving Station.

In 1902, a new, larger Weather Bureau Station was opened at Hatteras. The weather observer and his family lived in the station. The property included a metal signal tower, which was used for displaying weather flags. The station was also equipped with a telegraph for communicating with the District Forecast Center in Washington, D.C.

In this picture, S.L. Dosher (weather observer) is sitting on the porch. His wife Cara is standing next to the horse that their adopted child, Hugh, is riding.

The Hatteras Weather Bureau Station was responsible for issuing warnings and coastal forecasts. Warnings were communicated to the public via weather flags on the flagpole outside of the station. The observers at this station were also responsible for disseminating warnings for Dare and Hyde counties (Northern Outer Banks).

The Wright brothers were looking for a location for their flight experiments. After obtaining information that Kitty Hawk was the 6th windiest station in the country and the landscape had open, flat beaches with tall sand dunes, they chose it as the location to test their glider.

The telegraph alerting the world of the first flight was sent from the Weather Bureau Office in Kitty Hawk!

At 11:25 PM on April 14, 1912, Hatteras Weather Bureau Station operators Richard Dailey and Horace Gaskins received an urgent distress telegram from the Titanic saying that they had struck an iceberg.

This message was immediately forwarded to the New York Weather Bureau Station (headquarters) where it was labeled a hoax because the Titanic was unsinkable.

A second distress telegram was received at Hatteras from the closest ship to the Titanic (RMS Carpathia). Due to being reprimanded for forwarding the first message, they did not forward the second.

A crumpled telegram station log with mention of the April 14, 1912 distress message was found in the walls being used as insulation nearly 100 years later.

In 1940, the U.S. Weather Bureau was transferred from the Department of Agriculture to the Department of Commerce. Six years layer, the Weather Bureau Station at Hatteras was decommissioned and its functions were transferred to another location in Hatteras Village.

This new station had radar, data networking, and computerized instrumentation.

In 1994, WFO MHX opened its doors. After a long history of Weather Bureau Stations along the Outer Banks, the WFO was constructed a few miles inland to provide more protection from the harsh Atlantic storms. The office staff started with 5 General Forecasters and 3 Lead Forecasters.

Warning Coordination Meteorologist (WCM)

Erik is from Columbia, Maryland and earned his B.S. in Meteorology from State University of New York at Oswego. He has always loved the weather and use to report observations to the local television station in Washington, D.C. when he was in middle school. He even still has some handwritten observations from when he was a kid! His love of recording weather has continued over the years, and he just joined the NWS's Cooperative Observer Program (COOP) for MHX. Erik is an avid snow lover, especially lake effect snow, and will drive to see it if we don't get enough snow by the coast.

He began his career as a broadcast meteorologist for 5 years for various cities in Upstate New York and Vermont. After working in local NWS offices in Wilmington, NC and Binghamton, NY, Erik has been the WCM at Morehead City since 2017.

Erik especially loves community outreach, from school visits to just about any type of weather talk for any age level. He believes strongly that relationships built in our communities are our number one priority.

Outside of the office, Erik enjoys gardening, especially hybrid tea roses. He even has his own YouTube channel for sharing tips on growing roses! Erik, his wife, and three kids reside in Cape Carteret, NC.

Lead Meteorologist

John is from Buffalo, NY and attended SUNY Oswego where he earned his B.S. in Meteorology. He started his NWS career in 1989 and transitioned to MHX when the office opened in 1994. John finds winter weather the most interesting, and it was the Buffalo, NY blizzard of 1977 that got him interested in meteorology. When not at work, John enjoys hiking, fishing, attending concerts, traveling, and playing DFS.

Lead Meteorologist

Originally from northern Virginia, it was the blizzard of 1996 that originally got Casey interested in meteorology. She earned her B.S. in Atmospheric Science from the University of North Carolina at Asheville and then started her NWS career at MHX in 2006.

Lead Meteorologist

Originally from Philadelphia, PA, Shane earned his B.S. in Meteorology from Penn State. He started his NWS career as a Pathways Intern at the State College, PA office in 2015 before transitioning to MHX in January of 2016 and becoming a Lead Meteorologist in 2021.

Shane's interest in meteorology started at a young age with Hurricane Floyd being one of the first weather events that left a lasting impact on him. Hurricane Floyd moved through southeastern PA and led to disastrous flooding across the area, including his school and the basement of his house. He was in awe of the power of weather from then on and became interested in all kinds of weather, especially what caused them to occur. Shane finds all types of weather interesting, but thunderstorms and severe weather are the most fascinating to him as an operational meteorologist issuing convective warnings and analyzing the organization and structure of thunderstorms.

His professional interests include hydrology, which in Eastern NC includes flash/freshwater, river, and coastal flooding. He is also interested in severe weather, storm surveys, and local student internship and mentoring programs. When not at work, Shane enjoys getting outdoors including going to the beach, catching some waves, and hiking. He also is an avid sports fan and enjoys running, cooking, and spending time with family and friends.

Lead Meteorologist

Roger is from Chattanooga, TN and earned his B.S. in Meteorology from the University of South Alabama. He started in his NWS career in February 2015 and transitioned to MHX as a Lead Forecaster in April 2022.

Roger became fascinated by meteorology by watching The Weather Channel and experiencing a lot of interesting weather events through the years. Roger's fascination with weather started with thunderstorms, and on any given shift, you might hear him mention thunderstorms or severe weather. Experiencing the 2011 Super Outbreak in Alabama only reinforced his passion and desire to help people navigate the challenges severe weather brings. Serving others and caring about people is important to Roger, as is being a good leader. He enjoys listening to leadership podcasts, and you might find him on the porch swing reading a good leadership book on his days off.

At home, you may find Roger chasing around one of his four kids, or going on a walk along the beach with his wife Jenny. Roger and his family love being outside, and are often looking for places to hike or explore. When they aren't exploring, Roger and his family enjoy a good road trip around the Eastern US to visit family.

Meteorologist

Tom is originally from Somers, NY and earned his B.S. in Atmospheric Science from the University of North Carolina Asheville. He grew up fascinated by heavy snow producing Nor'easters in the winter and severe thunderstorms in the summer. When he moved to eastern NC in the 1990s, he became fascinated by several direct hits from hurricanes, and he was hooked on all types of severe weather ever since! Hurricanes are what he finds most interesting because they are such unique storm systems in that they produce everything from tornadoes, severe winds, incredible rainfall totals, and storm surge.

Tom started in the NWS in 2006 and transitioned to MHX in 2011. In his free time, Tom enjoys many outdoor activities including, but not limited to, hiking, kayaking, tennis, snowboarding, and biking. His professional interests center around IDSS. It is always an honor for him to serve our partners through on-site decision support and provide his many years of expertise on impactful weather conditions, which includes large complex wildfires.

Meteorologist

Raised near Darlington, SC, Morgan earned his B.S. in Atmospheric Sciences from the University of North Dakota and his M.S. in Applied Meteorology from Plymouth State University in Plymouth, NH. Morgan began his NWS career with the Morehead City office in March 2018 and was quickly introduced to the dynamic weather Eastern NC offers with Hurricane Florence.

Morgan's early interest in meteorology was sparked by watching his local TV meteorologist Ed Piotrowski. However, it was Hurricane Floyd in 1999 that cemented his interest. He is especially fascinated by thunderstorms and convective weather, but all types of weather interest him because of the unique forecast challenges each type presents.

His professional interests include and model and forecast verification, probabilistic forecasting, the National Blend of Models, aviation weather, and climate. Outside of the office, he enjoys traveling internationally and winning at local trivia events (or at least trying to!).

Meteorologist

Originally from Newburgh, NY, Ryan earned his B.S. in Atmospheric Science from the University of Albany and started his NWS career in August of 2021. Several things peaked Ryan's interest in weather from a very young age, first of which was watching coverage of landfalling hurricanes, severe weather outbreaks, and snowstorms on The Weather Channel. Additionally, his hometown was impacted by the Superstorm of 1993 and multiple snowstorms during the winters of 1995 and 1996. His experiences with snowstorms while growing up ignited his interest in winter weather, particularly Nor'Easters. He was very intrigued by the complexity of the systems and how a slight shift in their track could greatly impact precipitation type (rain, snow, freezing rain, sleet, thundersnow) and its impacts on society.

While in the office, Ryan enjoys participating in outreach and meeting people across our CWA to help understand everyone's varying needs. He also enjoys research and training as we have forecasters at all stages of their career and there is always something new to learn. When not at work, Ryan enjoys hiking (particularly in the Blue Ridge Mountain Range), running, and watching sports. He's an avid baseball (Go Mets!), football (Go Packers!), and hockey (Go Canes!) fan. He also enjoys reading, playing board games, going to trivia with friends, and spending time with family.

Meteorologist

Olivia started her NWS career at MHX in June of 2022. She earned her B.S. in Meteorology from Western Kentucky University in 2020 with minors in Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and American Sign Language (ASL). After graduating from WKU, she earned her M.S. in Geography from the University of Georgia in 2022. Her graduate thesis focused on exertional heat illnesses (EHIs) in Georgia high school football players where she created a risk profile for non-fatal EHIs based on body mass index (BMI) and field position.

Originally from Kentucky, she grew up with a passion for learning about severe weather. She was fortunate enough to participate in three field courses during college where she traveled to the Great Plains and spent two weeks at a time forecasting, tracking, and documenting severe storms.

Outside of the office, Olivia enjoys spending time with family and friends, traveling, baking, reading, cheering on the Tops and Dawgs, and learning to play the guitar.

Meteorologist

Rohan started in the NWS in October of 2022. He received his B.S. in Meteorology from Rutgers University in 2020 and is currently working towards his M.S. Atmospheric Science from the University of Washington.

Rohan is originally from Monroe Township, NJ, and it was hurricane tracking in his 5th grade science class that ignited his interest in meteorology. This interest grew over the years to include tropical cyclones, severe thunderstorms, tornadoes, and winter weather. Rohan's thesis research revolves around regional and temporal variations in near storm environments of tornadic supercells.

While at work, Rohan enjoys participating in community outreach and creating social media graphics. In his free time, he enjoys watching sports, playing Rocket League, eating, and spending time with friends.

Meteorologist

Zach began his NWS career at MHX in August of 2024. He attended the University of Illinois in his hometown of Champaign, IL for his B.S. in Atmospheric Sciences. After graduating in 2022, he moved to Raleigh, NC, to pursue an M.S. in Marine, Earth, and Atmospheric Sciences at North Carolina State University. His thesis focused on southeastern U.S. quasi-linear convective system (QLCS) environments during the cool season.

Watching summertime thunderstorms in Illinois sparked Zach's passion for meteorology. This passion has grown to encompass many aspects of meteorology, but his primary interests involve combining research and operations by working on new projects that aid in the forecasting and detection of extreme weather, such as severe weather conditions.

Outside of the office, Zach enjoys spending time with family and friends, reading, gaming, and playing pickleball.  He is also a big Red Wings and Manchester City fan.

Information Technology Officer (ITO)

Donnie ("DK") is the MHX ITO and is originally from Mt. Savage, Maryland. He served in the United States Air Force for over 4 years before joining the NWS in April of 1992 and transitioning to MHX in February of 2007.

DK's favorite weather conditions are when it's calm enough to take his boat offshore. When not at work, he enjoys offshore fishing and chilling on the beach with his family and friends.

Administrative Support Assistant (ASA)

Karen is originally from Syracuse, NY but she has lived all over the East Coast. She started in the NWS in 2022 and is fascinated by frontal passages with strong winds. In her free time, Karen enjoys going to the ocean.

Electronics Technician

Originally from Appleton, Wisconsin, Ed served in the United States Army from 1983-1987 and the United States Coast Guard from 1989-1998. He started his NWS career in 2002 and transitioned to MHX in 2007.

When not at work, Ed likes to read, cook, watch British shows and is very interested in Permaculture. His new obsession is Amateur Radio!

September 12-15, 2018

The wettest tropical cyclone on record in the Carolinas.

• Category at Landfall: 1
• Rain
  • 34.00" in Swansboro, NC
  • 25.20" at MHX in Newport, NC
• Wind: 106 MPH gusts at Cape Lookout
• Storm Surge: 9-13'

September 6, 2019

• Category at Landfall: 1
• Rain: 5-10" along the NC coast
• Wind: 110 MPH gusts at Cape Lookout
• Storm Surge: 4-7'
• Other Impacts
  • Several tornadoes (highest rated tornado: EF-2 in Emerald Isle, NC)

May 9, 2023

A nearly 7 hour severe weather event resulted in significant hail damage to houses and vehicles in Pitt and Craven Counties as well as numerous reports of wind damage to trees and structures.

Max Hail Size: half dollar, but possibly up to 2"

Max Wind Gust: 73 MPH

This was a rare event as some places saw two rounds of severe hail within a few hours of each other!

January 21-22, 2022

The first Ice Storm Warning to ever be issued by MHX.

• Ice
  • 0.25"-0.50" of freezing rain near Jacksonville to Cape Carteret, Maysville, Morehead City, Newport, and Oriental.
• Snow/Sleet
  • 1"-4" of sleet and snow with higher isolated totals.

The program is designed to:

1. increase undergraduate training in oceanic and atmospheric science, research, technology, and education and foster multidisciplinary training opportunities
2. increase public understanding and support for stewardship of the ocean and atmosphere and improve environmental literacy
3. recruit and prepare students for public service careers with NOAA and other natural resource and science agencies at the federal, state, and local levels of government; and
4. recruit and prepare students for careers as teachers and educators in oceanic and atmospheric science and to improve scientific and environmental education in the U.S.

The Hollings Scholarship Program provides successful undergraduate applicants with awards that include academic assistance (up to $9,500 per year) for two years of full-time study and a 10-week, full-time paid ($700/week) internship at a NOAA facility during the summer.

For more information, visit the  Ernest F. Hollings Undergraduate Scholarship  page.