In Memoriam: Paul Kucera

We are deeply saddened to share that Dr. Paul Kucera, Assistant Director of the COMET Program and lead of the Innovative Capacity Development team, passed away unexpectedly on May 31, 2026. His warmth, enthusiasm for his work, and open nature endeared him to his colleagues, and he leaves a hole that will not easily be filled. He built a career centered on helping vulnerable communities across the globe, and this legacy will endure.

Paul's Dedication to Building Weather-Ready Communities

Paul joined COMET in 2014 and began working with engineer Martin Steinson to design the low-cost, 3D-printed Automatic Weather Station (3D-PAWS), an idea originally hatched by former UCAR scientist Kelly Sponberg. The goal of the 3D-PAWS program was to help international partners expand their weather observation networks and improve their capability for early warning of hazardous weather.

Paul believed that every society on Earth should have access to the technology, education, and information needed to safeguard against meteorological and hydrological hazards. The first successful 3D-PAWS training was conducted in 2016 with the GLOBE Kenya project. This resulted in over 30 stations deployed in schools across Kenya, demonstrating the viability of the concept. An ambitious 3D-PAWS project in 2019 involved deploying 3D-PAWS around Lake Victoria in eastern Africa to help forecasters identify and provide warnings for high-impact weather events and hazardous conditions on the lake for fishermen. 

Paul's Leadership Drives 3D-PAWS' Global Expansion 

Under Paul’s guidance, and through support from the National Weather Service International Activities Office and the U.S. Department of State, the 3D-PAWS program began to take off around the globe. The Barbados Meteorological Service, another early partner to receive 3D-PAWS training, now has over 95 active 3D-PAWS. In total, over 330 3D-PAWS stations are currently active around the world in 20 countries and Antarctica. 

In 2023, Paul worked with partners at the Climate Hazards Center (CHC) at the University of California, Santa Barbara and African meteorological services to form the Enhancing Meteorological Network Partnerships (ENMP) in support of the Famine Early Warning Systems Network (FEWS NET). The COMET team has led 3D-PAWS training workshops with the Kenya Meteorological Services Agency, the Zimbabwe Meteorological Services Department, the Malawi Department of Climate Change and Meteorological Services, and, most recently, the Ethiopian Meteorological Institute. Data from 3D-PAWS are being ingested into the CHC’s CHIRPS rainfall dataset to help identify the onset of drought or extreme rainfall that could affect crop production. Both the FEWS NET staff and local met services use 3D-PAWS data and CHIRPS products to make decisions about life-threatening weather conditions. 

Paul and Team Bolster Early Warning & Impact-Based Forecasting Efforts

To expand capability for early warning, Paul and his team developed 3D-printed housings for a distance-to-surface ultrasonic sensor that could measure snow depth, stream height, and storm surge. Snow depth sensors are currently deployed at the Central Sierra Snow Laboratory in California, Storm Peak Lab in Colorado, the Austrian Alps, and at the Neumayer Station III in Antarctica. He worked closely with the National Hurricane Center Storm Surge unit to deliver forecasting workshops in the Caribbean and Pacific and to deploy 3D-PAWS storm surge gauges to help verify storm surge models. Paul was more recently working with partners on how 3D-PAWS data could be used for fire weather applications.

Paul was also heavily involved in the Weather Ready Nations (WRN) initiative, serving as an ambassador for training across Central America, Indonesia, and the Solomon Islands.  As part of WRN, he assisted the Barbados Meteorological Service (BMS) in implementing impact-based forecast and warning services. Paul also guided the creation of Impact-Based Forecasting online training tools, available on the COMET MetEd website. 

Paul: World Traveler, Mentor, and Cherished Friend

Paul’s love of travel was unmatched; he visited well over 40 countries while working at COMET. “Where in the world is Paul today?” was an often-heard refrain at his home office in Boulder, Colorado. Through his travels, Paul was always ready to connect with people and experience new adventures, such as sampling oyster omelets in Taiwan, drinking bottomless tea in Turkey, and feeding giraffes in Zimbabwe. All along the way, he built enduring relationships. 

Paul was a caring mentor who was always willing to listen. He put on his “Professor Kucera hat” when assisting his team in writing papers, reminding his team to always put a zero before the decimal point, or providing the most inspirational quote from Ted Lasso. He was famous for bringing in homemade shortbread for team meetings (an homage to “biscuits with the boss” from Ted Lasso) and Minnesota Hotdish for potlucks. He also built bonds with his colleagues by joining them in skiing, hiking, and playing tennis, sharing his love of photography, or chatting over a glass of cider at local spots in Erie, Colorado. 

Paul is survived by his beloved wife and three children, his father, mother, and sister, and friends and colleagues worldwide. The team at COMET is dedicated to continuing his legacy in capacity development.