A Symposium honoring the 50th Anniversary of Operational Numerical Prediction was held in the Marriott Inn and Conference Center at the University of Maryland, College Park, on June 14-17 2004. Operational numerical weather prediction (NWP) in the United States, which sparked " a revolution in meteorology", started with formation of the Joint Numerical Weather Prediction Unit (JNWPU) on 1 July 1954, in Suitland, Maryland. The JNWPU was jointly funded and staffed by members of the U.S. Weather Bureau, the U.S. Air Force and the U.S. Navy, and the origins of today's NCEP, AFWA, and FNMOC can all be traced to this pioneering event which was one of the intellectual achievements of the twentieth century,

In recognition of this remarkable NWP achievement, the National Centers for Environmental Prediction, the Air Force Weather Agency, the Fleet Numerical Meteorology and Oceanography Center, the National Weather Association, and the American Meteorological Society jointly sponsored the 50th Symposium. This poster will graphically highlight this symposium that celebrated the pioneering developments in NWP and the remarkable improvements in forecast skill and support of the nation’s economy, well-being, and national defense achieved over the last 50 years.