Curt Kaplan joined the WeatherFlow team in April of 2022 after recently retiring from the National Weather Service (NWS). Curt spent 22 years as an operational forecaster at the NWS in Oxnard, CA where his responsibilities included public, marine, aviation and fire weather forecasting for southwestern California and adjacent coastal waters. He worked many major weather events in southern California, from the several wildfires to deadly debris flows including Montecito. As the tsunami focal point, Curt received the National Isaac Cline Award for the decision support during the 2011 Honshu Japan tsunami which included strong communications with the marine commerce, emergency management officials, and local and national media keeping them all informed before, during and after the tsunami reached the coast of California. He was key in decision support for large venues such as the Rose Bowl and Rose Parade as well as giving on-site decision support for the fire partners in southern California. The southern California native has now relocated to the Puget Sound and looks forward continuing forecasting for the Pacific Northwest.
Curt has been a storm-chaser since the early 90s but stopped chasing after May of 2013 due to the Moore and El Reno devastating tornadoes. Fun Fact: Curt appeared on the original Gong Show in the late 70s in an act called “The Worm”.