The Southern Region encompasses one-quarter of the land of the contiguous United States and includes New Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Tennessee, Alabama, Georgia, and Florida, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands in the eastern Caribbean. In this large area, 77 million people reside with more than 150 million visitors annually.
In addition, our coastal responsibilities include major areas of the Gulf of Mexico, the Caribbean, and that portion of the Atlantic Ocean bordering Florida and Georgia. The National Weather Service (NWS) Southern Region offers a vast array of meteorological, hydrological, and climatological diversity and forecast challenges. For example the area that comprises the region receives:
The NWS mission is to provide information to save lives, protect property, and support the economic well being of our nation. A career in the NWS offers a wonderful service opportunity and great personal satisfaction to every employee.
The Southern Region has an outstanding team of nearly 1,000 field employees in 32 forecast offices; four river forecast centers; seven Center Weather Service Units; the Spaceflight Meteorology Group; the FAA Academy; and, Southern Region Headquarters.
The Southern Region Headquarters provides both administrative and operational support to its field offices and manages the Region's programs, scientific enhancements, staffing, and an annual budget of nearly $110 million. The Southern Region staff oversees a multitude of technological developments and implementations. Program management for meteorological, hydrological, climatological, and the tsunami activities are supported and managed by regional headquarters personnel.
Southern Region personnel also provide support in recruitment, promotion, EEO/Diversity and employee development. Quality control of all field services and operational prioritizing and evaluation of field needs is an integral part of the Southern Region Headquarters responsibilities.
The active outreach and educational programs by the local offices throughout the Region help build relationships with our partners in emergency management, local governments, the media and academic communities. These working relationships have been invaluable helping in preparing people to respond appropriately when threatened by severe weather or other hazards. A combination of these activities has resulted in dramatic reductions in the loss of life and injury during such events.
The Southern Region's most valuable resource is the tremendous teamwork of its employees who are dedicated to the delivery of weather, water, and climatological forecasts and warnings in support of the NWS mission. The network of NWS offices supports the security of our homeland while enhancing the economic well being of our nation.
The NWS is one component of NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration). Other NOAA line offices include:
For more information about NOAA and the NWS sister offices, go to www.noaa.gov. Thank you for your interest in the National Weather Service Southern Region.
The Southern Region Leadership Team
