José Gálvez serves as an International Desk Coordinator for the National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP) in College Park, MD. José has demonstrated exceptional dedication and innovation in meeting his international tropical cyclone forecasting and training responsibilities. The NCEP International Desk provides essential decision support services to the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), the National Hurricane Center, the Weather Prediction Center, and various other partners. Although the International Desk is normally a 3-person team, due to unusual circumstances José worked alone during the 2022 Hurricane Season. José rose to the challenge — in the 30-day period ending October 14, he authored over 50 daily rainfall forecasts for threatening systems, including for devastating hurricanes Fiona and Ian. In fact, the San Juan Weather Forecast Office specifically noted the positive impact José had on “understanding the severity of the rainfall forecast associated with Hurricane Fiona.” Despite staffing challenges, during this difficult period José also developed a series of training modules under tight deadlines. In sum, José overcame significant challenges to provide essential information to partners internal and external to NOAA.
