Northeast Texas Community college will host "Drought 2011 and Beyond," a discussion with Texas State Climatologist Dr. John Nielson-Gammon, on Tuesday, Jan. 31, at 7 p.m. at the Whatley Center for the Performing Arts.

There is no charge for admission, and anyone with an interest or concern about drought issues is encouraged to attend. The event was planned in cooperation with the Northeast Texas Municipal Water District and the Titus County Fresh Water Supply District #1.

"Water issues concern everyone, whether they realize it or not. It is easy to forget about a drought after it has rained a few times, but we still have a long way to go to recover from 2011 drought," Walt Sears, executive director of the Northeast Texas Municipal Water District, said.

During the presentation, Dr. Nielson-Gammon will offer insight on the meteorological phenomena that led to the drought in Northeast Texas and what we can expect in 2012 and beyond. As the state climatologist, the Texas legislature and other policy makers rely heavily on Dr. Nielson-Gammon's opinion and research regarding all areas of the climate and how it is projected to affect Texas.

"We had a La Nina in place by last fall so we knew to expect below average rainfall in the winter, but we didn't know just how bad it would be," Dr. Nielson-Gammon said. "We are currently seeing ocean temperature patterns in the Atlantic and Pacific that are similar to those during the drought in the 1950s."

Nielson-Gammon, a professor in the department of Atmospheric Sciences at Texas A&M University in College Station, has been the state climatologist since 2000. He holds an S.B., S.M., and Ph.D. from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). He has done extensive research in the field of meteorology, which includes jet streams, extreme rainfall events, air quality, drought monitoring and forecasting and other topics.

"We are thrilled to have Dr. Nielson-Gammon come to NTCC for this presentation. He is one of the premier weather scholars in the country and we look forward to hearing his unique insight into the drought situation we are currently facing in Northeast Texas," Teresa Wooten, NTCC director of continuing education and corporate training, said.

For more information about the presentation, call 903-434-8134. For more information on Dr. Nielson-Gammon, visit the Texas State Climatologist web site at http://atmo.tamu.edu/osc/.