The field of urban meteorology has grown considerably in the past few decades, and a number of recent publications have helped identify pressing needs for scientific advances. To date, however, most assessments of R&D priorities have come from discussions within the scientific community. There is a need for more direct interaction with key end-user communities, who can help identify their needs.

To facilitate a dialog, the National Research Council's Board on Atmospheric Sciences and Climate (BASC) held a workshop in the summer of 2011 that brought together selected scientific experts with a wide array of representatives from end-user communities who can help identify their needs. Representatives from academia, federal and local governments, energy supply, public health, emergency response, air and water quality management, and transportation participated. Issues addressed included identifying the needs of end-users and ways to ensure their information needs are met by utilizing current or emerging meteorological modeling and forecasting capabilities. The workshop report is intended to inform federal agencies and others responsible for planning and funding the next generation of research and development efforts in the field of urban meteorology. In this presentation, we will discuss the lessons learned and key conclusions that emerged from the study, with a focus on 1) why some existing urban-level weather forecasting and monitoring capabilities are not being effectively utilized by key end-user communities; and 2) information needs of specific end-user communities that cannot be met by current urban-level weather forecasting and monitoring capabilities, and should therefore be a priority for future R&D efforts.