Weather Service names new Pocatello leader

The National Weather Service has named Vernon Preston to serve as Meteorologist-in-Charge of the Pocatello Weather Forecast Office.

Preston will be the front-line officer for the weather service mission of serving the public by helping protect lives and property.

“It is a great honor to serve as the new Pocatello Meteorologist-in-Charge and I look forward to continuing our proud tradition of providing live-saving weather, water and climate information to our partners and citizens across central and eastern Idaho,” Preston said.

Preston came to eastern Idaho as Warming and Coordination Meteorologist in 1998. Before that, he worked with NOAA studying greenhouse gases, warning for severe thunderstorms and tornadoes across southern Kansas, and teaching meteorologists world-wide about Doppler Weather Radar operations. He helped install the Doppler radar and advanced computer systems across the western United States.