First convective watch issued by a woman, women continue to pave the way in a male dominant field
Tweet from Elizabeth Leitman of the first Severe Thunderstorm Watch issued by a female.
While Severe Thunderstorm Watch #33 which was issued at 3:45 PM on February 15, 2023, for parts of Texas and Oklahoma might have seemed like just another Severe Thunderstorm Watch, it was actually a big moment for the weather community and for women in the STEM fields. Yesterday afternoon, Meteorologist Elizabeth (Liz) Leitman, became the first woman to issue a Convective Watch at the Storm Prediction Center.
The Storm Prediction Center began in 1952 but was formerly known as the Severe Local Storms Unit (SELS) which was part of the U.S. Weather Bureau based in Washington, D.C. It was moved in 1954 to Kansas City, Missouri, and by 1966 became the National Severe Storms Forecast Center (NSSFC). By 1968, they became issuing their first weather watches. On April 2, 1982, they issued their first "Particularly Dangerous Situation" watch for a significant severe weather outbreak that was to occur during that watch time. In 1995, the NSSFC was moved to the former Norman U.S. Naval Air Station in Norman, Oklahoma where it became the Storm Prediction Center (SPC) as we know it today. They made one final move to their current location at the National Weather Center on the University of Oklahoma Campus Research campus in 2006.
Women officially entered the field of meteorology back in 1954 when June Bacon-Bercey became the first African-American woman to earn a degree in meteorology from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). That same year, she accepted a position as a weather forecaster and analyst for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's National Weather Service in Washington, D.C. In 1972, she became the first on-air African American female meteorologist which would go on to win her the Seal of Approval for excellence in on-air meteorology from the American Meteorologist Society, which was also a first for women and African Americans. She would later become the chief meteorologist of the station, which was also a first for an African American woman. June Bacon-Bercey's history is important to note, as she began to pave the path for both women and minorities alike when she help found the AMS Board of Women and Minorities around 1977, and also started a meteorology program at Jackson State University to further encourage minorities to find careers in meteorology.
69 years later, Meteorologist Liz Leitman continues to pave a path for women in STEM and for the woman in the weather community for future generations to come! Congratulations Liz, we look forward to seeing all the amazing things you do in the years to come!