Taylor Trogdon named NOAA Team Member of the Month

Taylor Trogdon was recently named NOAA’s Team Member of the Month for December, 2023. Taylor serves as a research meteorologist at the NOAA Global Systems Laboratory in Boulder, CO.

In late August and early September, the NOAA Global Systems Laboratory's Taylor Trogdon was invited by the NOAA National Hurricane Center (NHC) on a special assignment to the Hurricane and Ocean Testbed (HOT) ahead of the arrival of Hurricane Idalia. Taylor's task was to test and evaluate the GSL-developed Hazard Services software and its generation of storm surge watches and warnings. There were significant hardware challenges, but Taylor persisted and devised innovative solutions to overcome them. The successful evaluation resulted in an increased Readiness Level for the software and overwhelmingly positive feedback from NHC forecasters and management. Taylor's leadership in advancing the Hazard Services software will lead to enhanced and localized messaging for the hyper-local storm surge hazard and increase economic and social resilience.

Taylor came from the NHC to GSL to develop, implement, and evaluate new software capabilities for communicating hazardous weather watches and warnings. He works with NOAA National Weather Service stakeholders to define modernization requirements that meet the demands of next-generation watch/warning dissemination. Taylor’s passion for social and behavioral science and consideration for social vulnerability factors have helped redefine how to communicate tropical and marine hazards. Taylor's outstanding contributions to the Hazard Services software increase the efficiency and efficacy of life-saving forecasts.

Taylor is customer- and partner-focused, as evidenced by repeat invitations to conduct research at the NHC during hurricanes. In 2022, the NHC invited Taylor and a colleague to test and evaluate Hazard Services storm surge products during Hurricane Ian, the first use of the HOT during a live event. This storm brought a catastrophic storm surge exacerbated by over 20 inches of rain, causing major flooding. During this event, storm surge watches and warnings were issued at full resolution for the first time -- on a scale of 20-30 meters. Current storm surge watches/warnings are issued at 2.5km. This more precise resolution could help support more focused decision-support services in the future.

Taylor is an outstanding research meteorologist who is generous with his time to serve others. His contributions strengthen his team and the wider meteorological community. His passionate approach to work increases team morale. Taylor is an ideal teammate and leader who displays integrity, humility, and a passion for excellence every day.