There’s a misconception regarding storm surges, says Jamie Rhome. “Few people understand we evacuate in this nation based off storm surge,” he says. “Most people think evacuations are based off wind. The largest number of lives historically lost in a hurricane was from drowning, not wind. Wind is a hazard that should be taken seriously, but the biggest threat to life in a hurricane is water.”
Rhome is the storm surge specialist and team lead at NOAA’s National Hurricane Center (NHC) in Miami, FL. He oversees the NHC’s Storm Surge Unit, which produces official storm surge forecasts during tropical cyclone threats to the US, supports the nation’s hurricane warning program, and facilitates post-storm response and recovery efforts. He’s the storm surge and coastal inundation subject matter expert for the National Weather Service’s hurricane program. He is also a subject matter expert on a World Meteorological Team aimed at improving storm surge predictive capabilities within other nations, especially the Caribbean and Central America.
Rhome represents NOAA for the tri-agency National Hurricane Program, which also includes FEMA and the US Army Corps of Engineers, and conducts hurricane evacuation studies. During the off season, he leads NHC storm surge research and development activities, including updates to the storm surge modeling system, new product development, and post-storm analysis and validation studies. He’s part of the NHC outreach program, which encompasses hurricane preparedness activities and other public outreach efforts. Rhome served as a scientific policy analyst for the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy during the George W. Bush and Barack Obama administrations.
What He Does Day to Day
Rhome may put in “regular hours” or go long stretches without sleep at work, depending on a situation’s severity. His priority: maintaining surveillance over the tropics for current and future weather events. He leads his storm surge forecast team to formulate a forecast, and then communicates it to NHC customers and partners via briefings, webinars, conference calls, and media interviews. Stormwater managers are often part of the large conference calls. Briefings are conducted for state and federal partners; satellite offices brief local affiliates. “It’s hard for me to know every little creek and stream out there, whereas local offices know local issues,” says Rhome, adding he may have a direct briefing with large organizations like the South Florida Water Management District, which spans many areas.
What Led Him Into This Work
“Meteorologists tend to be born, not made,” notes Rhome. “Most meteorologists cite some sort of weather experience at a young age that got them excited about weather. Where I grew up, a snow day was the easiest way to get out of going to school. That got me interested in following the weather. It blossomed into a career.” Rhome earned B.S. and M.S. degrees in meteorology from North Carolina State University. He started with the NHC as a marine forecaster in the Tropical Analysis and Forecast Branch and later became a hurricane specialist, issuing track, intensity, and wind forecasts as well as watches and warnings for tropical cyclones in the Atlantic and Eastern Pacific basins. “Storm surge was a natural culmination of those two backgrounds,” says Rhome. “It’s the reaction of the ocean to the hurricane.”
What He Likes Most About His Job
Working directly with customers and decision-makers gives Rhome a great sense of satisfaction. “They have incredibly difficult decisions to make, such as evacuations. I enjoy helping them teach people. Many people don’t understand storm surge. Sometimes I’ll see the look on their face when they finally get it. That look is very addictive.”
