NWS director lauds forecasters

Jack Hayes, Director of the National Weather Service, was in town this week to see how the local office handled the firestorms.

He left this afternoon with nothing but praise.

Hayes said the forecasters performed admirably under trying circumstances. Their office in Rancho Bernardo was evacuated Monday morning. Some of the forecasters operated out of the San Diego County Emergency Operations Center in Kearny Mesa, and others moved to the Oxnard weather service office.

"It was a heroic effort," Hayes said. "It's the kind of story I like to go back to back and tell my boss about."

He lauded the forecasters teamwork and the professionalism. Hayes also praised the incident meteorologists, the forecasters who provide site-specific weather details to the firefighters.
_ Robert Krier, staff writer