Carrie Suffern, CCM

METEOROLOGIST & GIS SPECIALIST

Carrie Suffern has 10 years of experience as a meteorologist and five years of experience as a GIS specialist. She is one of just 219 active AMS Certified Consulting Meteorologists across the globe, of which, only ~10% are women. Carrie worked with the National Weather Service in Juneau, Ak and Washington, D.C. She also has experience in the research realm having worked in Ohio State University’s Ice Core Paleoclimatology Lab, the University of Alaska - Fairbanks’s International Arctic Research Center, NC State University’s Earth and Atmospheric Sciences Department, and the International Arctic Systems for Observing the Atmosphere (IASOA) at NOAA’s Earth Systems Research Lab (ESRL) in Boulder, CO. Carrie holds two B.S. degrees in Meteorology and Marine Science and a Masters of Geospatial Information Science and Technology (MGIST). She is also an avid horsewoman having ridden horses for 30 years. She and her family currently run a farm with horses, chickens, gardens, and honeybees coming soon that has been in operation since 1998. Due to spending large amounts of time outdoors caring for a farm, Carrie is passionate about making data driven decisions, especially when there are weather or spatial concerns.  

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Qualifications

  • American Meteorological Society Certified Consultant Meteorologist, AMS CCM

    License Number 763

    Awarded February 2021, Expires December 2026

  • National Weather Service NEXRAD Distance Learning Operations Course (DLOC) Course - Completed in spring of 2010 at NWS’s Warning Decision Training Division in Norman, OK

    National Weather Service Advanced Warning Operations Course (AWOC) - Completed in spring of 2010

    Internal NWS Dual-Polarization Radar Training - completed in 2012

  • Owner and Meteorologist at Equus Weather, January 2022 - Present

    Provide weather support for a variety of weather conditions. Provide data analytical services for website and business endeavors. Support leadership and coaching initiatives through Larsen Group, LLC.

    GIS Analyst and Meteorologist at Gannett Fleming, Inc., July 2018 - December 2021

    Work on highway noise analyses for the NCDOT, VDOT, and other DOTs on the United States east coast. Conduct field measurements of traffic noise, analyze data using ESRI GIS products, and write reports summarizing results.

    Teaching Assistant at NC State University, January 2017 - May 2018

    GIS510 – Introduction to Geographic Information Systems, GIS515 – Cartographic Design, GIS530 – Spatial Data Foundations, and GIS660 – MGIST Professional Portfolio. Identified and solved software issues for students, answered complex questions about geospatial topological relationships, graded map projects from a cartographic perspective and held weekly help sessions.

    Manager of Hope Farm at Cedar Fork Creek, Inc., September 2013 - present

    Focus on sustainable horse keeping and utilizing our farm for greatest production of food for our family.

    Meteorologist at the National Weather Service Baltimore/Washington Office, January 2011 - September 2012

    Forecasted the weather for one of the country’s most populated areas including writing forecasts for three of the busiest airports in the nation (Dulles International, Baltimore Washington International and Reagan National) including the severe weather events of Hurricane Irene, a major tornado outbreak in April 2011 across the Mid-Atlantic States and the 2012 Derecho

    Meteorologist at the National Weather Service in Juneau, AK, September 2009 through January 2011

    Wrote short and long term forecasts for the third largest forecast area in the U.S. and all its territories

    Scientific Data Analyst II at NOAA’s Earth Systems Research Lab, July 2009 - September 2009

    Provided contract services to NOAA by working with the International Arctic Systems for Observing the Atmosphere (IASOA). Cataloged, organized, and prepared atmospheric monitoring instruments for shipping and installation in Tiksi, Russia (Siberia). Conducted website improvements.

    Teaching Assistant at NC State University, January 2009-May 2009

    Taught MEA 135 – Introduction to Weather and Climate Lab, was the sole instructor for a section with 30 students, taught all labs and graded all assignments including the posting of final grades.

  • Multiple blizzards, winter storms, coastal storms, and floods/mudslides for the Alaska Panhandle - fall 2009-winter 2010 (Juneau WFO)

    Spring 2011 Super Outbreak - April 2011, Sterling WFO (link)

    Hurricane Irene - Summer 2011, Sterling WFO (link)

    2012 Derecho - June 29, 2012, Sterling WFO (link)

  • · Conducted hundreds of media interviews and weather briefings with entities such as The White House, Air Force One, National Park Service, southeast Alaska king crab fishing fleet, and national/international media outlets including but not limited to The Washington Post, Baltimore Sun, CNN, Associated Press, NBC, CBS, ABC, Anchorage Daily News, and Juneau Empire

    · Taught Skywarn classes to National Weather Service volunteers

    · Presented oral presentations at annual meetings of the American Association of Geographers (AAG) and the North Carolina ArcGIS Users Group (NCAUG)

    · Created posters presented at annual meetings of the National Weather Association (NWA) and the American Geophysical Union (AGU)

  • Quotes in media interviews:

    Weather balloon picture and video clip (ABC News): Article and Video

    Forbes article also about weather balloons: Article

    Advice for Geoscience Professionals: Article

    Washington Post 2012 article on drought: Article

    Baltimore Sun article on tornado threat, spring 2012: Article

    Washington Examiner record heat summer 2011: Article

    Washington Examiner heat in March 2012: Article

    Archived The Winchester Star article from 21 Feb 2012: Newspaper Archive Link

    Washington Times article on heat, summer 2011: Article

  • Suffern C., (Sept. 2021). Traffic Noise & Construction Noise/Vibration Dashboards: Real-Time Monitoring and Visualization. Oral presentation at the fall North Carolina ArcGIS Users Group conference.

    Bastias S. & Suffern C. (Sept. 2019). Use of LiDAR Derived Surfaces to Create Inputs for the FHWA’s Traffic Noise Model 2.5. Oral presentation at the fall North Carolina ArcGIS Users Group conference.

    Suffern, C., Peloquin, B., Listemaa, S., & Zubrick, S. (Oct. 2012). Use of the SWAN model for wave height forecasting at the NWS Baltimore/Washington Weather Forecast Office. Poster presented at the National Weather Association (NWA) 37th Annual Meeting, Madison, Wisconsin.

    Suffern, C. (Feb. 2012). CBIBS Data Use at the Baltimore/Washington, NWS. Presentation at the CBIB’s Science Users’ Forum. Annapolis, Maryland.

    Collins, Richard & Harvey, V.L. & Thurairajah, B & Atkinson, David & J. Larsen, C & Baumgarten, G & Fiedler, J & Firanski, Bernard & Gerding, M & Höffner, J & M. Livingston, J & Luebken, F. (2008). Rayleigh Lidar Network Observations and Analysis of the Evolution of the Arctic Middle Atmosphere during the IPY Winter 2007-2008. AGU Fall Meeting. San Francisco, California.

    Richard L. Collins 1 , V. Lynn Harvey 2 , Brentha Thurairajah 1 , David E. Atkinson 3 , Caroline J. Larsen 3 , Gerd Baumgarten 4 , Jens Fiedler 4 , Bernard J. Firanski 5 , Michael Gerding 4 , John Livingston 6 , Kohei Mizutani 7 , Weilin Pan 6 , Robert J. Sica 8 , Kevin B. Strawbridge 5 (Aug. 2008). The Structure and Evolution of the Arctic Middle Atmosphere during the First IPY Winter; Rayleigh Lidar Network Observations and Analysis. 35th Annual European Meeting on Atmospheric Studies by Optical Methods. Maynooth Ireland.

    Larsen C., E. Mosley-Thompson, and L. Wei (Apr. 2008), A 50-year proxy record of climate variability from Western Greenland, Presentation at the 2008 Annual AAG Meeting. Boston, MA.

    Larsen C., D. Atkinson, J. Walsh, J. Lingaas, and J. Arnott (Oct. 2006), Dynamical Development of the Bering/Chukchi Sea Storm, October 2004, Poster presentation at the fall 2006 AGU Conference. San Francisco, California.

    Larsen C., advisors: Dr. D. Atkinson, Dr. J. Walsh, and Mr. J. Lingaas (2006), A Synoptic Overview of the Severe Bering Sea Storm of 2004. Presentation at the NOAA EEP Education Forum in Tallahassee, Florida.

    Hornsby F., W. Jackson, C. Larsen, and R. O’Donnell, Hunt, B. (2006), A Comparison of Ambient Mercury Levels at New Brunswick and Elizabeth New Jersey, Presentation at the November 2006 AWMA Integrated Control Strategies: Achieving Greater Benefit conference. Durham, North Carolina

    Larsen C., Savage, C., Silverman, M. & Hill, C., The Comparison of Gravity Waves in the Atmosphere of Mars using Different Froude Numbers in 2D Simulations with a GFDM. Presentation at the spring 2006 NCSU Undergraduate Research Symposium. Raleigh, North Carolina.

  • Masters of Geospatial Information Science & Technology (MGIST), NC State University

    May 2018

    4.0 GPA, Fully funded masters student from Fall 2017 – Spring 2018

    Bachelor of Science in Meteorology, NC State University

    Bachelor of Science in Marine Science, NC State University

    Magna Cum Laude: 3.59/4.0

    Awarded the NOAA Hollings Undergraduate Scholarship for 2005-2007

  • Carrie believes that finding ways to serve your community should be a lifelong goal. She helps with her church’s Sunday School ministry and has been on the Rotary Club of Raleigh’s Board of Directors since 2014. She is currently the President Elect for the 2023-2024 Rotary year and will be acting president on July 1st, 2023. The Rotary Club of Raleigh (RCOR) is North Carolina’s oldest civic group. Please contact Carrie for more information on membership and visiting the RCOR.