By Natalie Bazinet
Staff Writer
CARIBOU — Staff at the NOAA National Weather Service office welcomed the arrival of their new warning coordination meteorologist on April 4. Noelle Runyan, native of north central Iowa, arrived in The County earlier this month and is excited for the challenges she anticipates her new position will bring.
Aroostook Republican photo/Natalie Bazinet
Noelle Runyan, the new warning coordination meteorologist for the National Weather Service office in Caribou, hit the ground running when she started her job on April 4.
“I grew up in the Midwest, I worked in the plains of the Midwest my entire career and I wanted something new,” Runyan said. Her promotion to warning coordination meteorologist and a move halfway across the country have afforded her a variety of atmospheric and hydrological excitement that will push the boundaries of her comfort zone; between the northern Appalachian Mountains, the costal climates and the vast topography of Maine, the Caribou meteorologists deal with a little bit of everything.
With April warming up, for example, the annual ice jams are right around the corner and while she accumulated experience and education regarding riparian ice in the past, she’s eager to face the challenges of Aroostook’s annual spring thaw.
Runyan received her B.S. in meteorology from Iowa State University and has applied that knowledge to her 18-year career with the National Weather Service. But as the new warning coordination meteorologist, her responsibilities shift from predicting the weather to helping communities prepare for weather by being the office’s community liaison — something that’s right up her alley.
“I like the interaction with the emergency managers, with the media, with the public — I like that sort of outreach component,” Runyan explained. “I like finding ways to work together to meet each others needs, whether it’s solving communication issues or just coordinating services which are needed or new services being offered.”
Few would think that northern Maine has much in common with the Midwest, but Runyan feels right at home surrounded by the area’s agricultural fields. She was raised on a farm where they grew corn and soybeans. Runyan also mentioned how her family “did diversify and also raised exotic birds — parrots actually,” but the crops were the primary focus of the farm.
Moving to Maine and accepting a new job has kept Runyan pretty busy, but she has found time to take in the Aroostook scenery.
“I like the terrain, the trees — I even like that there’s still snow on the ground,” she said. “I haven’t seen a moose yet, but I’m looking forward to it.”
Whether it be working with the Canadian weather service or just visiting the country, Runyan is also looking forward to international experiences that come with living in such close proximity to the border and noted that the seafood is way better in Maine.
