MIAMI (AP) - National Hurricane Center Director Bill Read has announced plans to retire June 1.
Read says in a statement Saturday from the Miami-based hurricane center that he intended to stay on the job no longer than five years. Read has been in the post since 2008.
Read says one reason he chose June 1 is to give his successor a chance to take over just as this year’s six-month hurricane season begins. Read also says he has some unspecified opportunities that will become available this summer.
The hurricane center is a unit of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. NOAA says there have been 63 tropical systems in the Atlantic Ocean basin during Read’s tenure at the center.
The search for a replacement will begin immediately.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.