Pingping Xie, NOAA/NCEP, College Park, MD, United States, Robert Joyce, NOAA/NCEP/CPC, Boca Raton, FL, United States, Shaorong Wu, Wyle-CPC/NCEP/NOAA, College Park, MD, United States and Bert Katz, NOAA/NWS/NCEP, College Park, MD, United States