Your Love for Weather

[chadtm80]

Just curious to hear everyones story on how they became weather junkies..

[Stormsfury]

Thunderstorms, the big icestorm in 1978 in my youth, Hurricane David in 1979, Tornado Outbreak in 1984 ... Christmas Snowstorm 1979 ... Hurricane Hugo in 1989. Thundersleet/snow in 1988 ... 3 separate thundersnowstorms on Feb 16th, 1996 ...

Lightning striking a tree across the street in 1997, Superstorm of 1993.

Too many to list ... just when you think you've seen it all, Mother Nature has a knuckleball up her sleeve!...

[Rob-TheStormChaser]

My father in the 40s was in the Navy...was into Meteorology and went to Penn State for a degree in it. He was one of the guys responsible in the early days of cloud seeding in South America and almost a pioneer of sorts in engineering and weather. When I was born in 1969 near Boston, Mass, I was born in the 2nd of 3 blizzards that month. I have pics and some 91" total was on the ground in some parts of the state...very historical storms for the day.

When I was 5 we moved to near Elmira, NY and we had a panoramic view of the whole area around us and a picture window to watch weather from the hilltops and see them come thru the valley below. Snow and cold never bothered me and I loved upstate NY for the massive snows we got...77, 79, 82-83 were big years.

I always watched thunderstorms and my dad spoke at schools as he worked for Corning Glass Works for 34 years and taking early retirement at 59 in 1986. I also that year enlisted into the delayed entry program for the Army and graduated in 87. 6 weeks later I was in OK for basic training and advanced schooling until Christmas that year...you guessed it...Meteorology.

I was a Field Artillery Meteorological Crewmember for the big guns and the front lines. I only saw rain twice during 87 in summer in OK....bad storms too. I got stationed in GA in 88 for a year then Germany and Desert Storm in 91. Luckily I got out right after the war and came home and enlisted into the PA Guard for another 4 years...in Meteorology, went to Penn State and worked 2 jobs as well. I finished the Guard and school and all was paind for by the Govt.

I became a stormchaser in my middle days of college and also been doing it now for 12 years. I'm a NWS spotter for rain/snow and also river levels in my area through Binghamton, NY site and a Skywarn Observer as well. I could go on and on with details about any one of these aspects of my whole ride and its been real so far...I just hope its as adventurous in the years to come as well.

[wx247]

I have a family history of "weather fanaticism". My uncle was a met. on tv, and my grandfather is a storm spotter for the city we live in.

I just seemed to have inherited it. I am currently a coop. weather observer for the NWS in Springfield, MO.

Garrett

[wrkh99]

I saw Christina Abernathy naked . Since then I have loved the weather j/k

[Rob-TheStormChaser]

omg.....lol well if that were the case, then I've seen ALOT of those OCM's nekkid over the years since 1982! :o

[VanceWxMan]

Joined the USAF in Jan 1994 worked as maintenance till 1997 got sick of the monotnus job and cross trained.. never really had a thing for weather until the Forecasting job came up. I got sent to observing school and did so well that they asked me to fast track into the forecasting school, instead of going out in the field and observing) I accepted went through that course and got stationed in the MIDDLE OF TORNADO ALLEY at the end of 1998 first forecast was may 3rd, 1999 and I have loved severe wx ever since! I have been through NUMEROUS Severe Storms and 2 tornados. One tore the roof off of my school gym while we were inside :o
Weather can't be tamed the atmosphere is fluid and ever changing! I love a challange!

Aaron

[StormCrazyIowan]

When I was 10 years old, a fierce storm blew through my town, and I can still remember being equally terrified and excited, especially when my mom screamed at me for being outside in it! Since then, I get so excited every time I hear the word thunderstorm! (That was also the year of the flood of 1993, which also played a key role in my love for weather, who else can say they canoed in their front yard and down the highway?)

[Rob-TheStormChaser]

Thunderstorm Thunderstorm!!! lol I couldnt resist!

Aaron, you mentioned the May 3rd F5....that was the ultimate complex of storms to hit that area....much like the Twister movie penned years before. In ways, I'm glad I missed it, but I was far enough away and saw plenty of damage from it.

[isobar]

Great stories guys! Keep 'em coming.

May 8, 1979, I was 16 and living in Tampa during a tornado outbreak. T-storms were training over us, and our county was under a tornado warning for 12 consecutive hours. Didn't actually see one, nor did I want to at the time, but I've been in awe ever since.

[Rob-TheStormChaser]

iso...what were the T-storms training to do? lol j/k I know I know I need a good slap...it wont help! 12 hours under tornado watches is not something you hear of every day...even in Tornado Alley!

[vbhoutex]

I guess the beginning would be a good place.

My Dad, from my first recollections was always a weather observer. He had years of recored weather in binders. He was always out in the middle of the storms or whatever, much to my mothers chagrin, especially when I started following him out the door!

The first real remembrance of weather I have is a snowstorm in gulf Breeze, Fla. when I was in Kindergarten. We got 2". Next came Hurricane Flossy which landfalled right over us(1958?) I still remember running down to our house from the neighbors during the eye to check things out. Of course there was already plenty of debris around, but all was well. Ever since that time I have at least observed the weather.

There were many other TS and Hurricanes and squall lines and super cold(For Tallahassee)weather phenoms I experienced as I was growing up and I was always enthralled with my dad's explanations. He even quit his job as an Architect to go back to school at FSU for Meteorology when I was 10, but couldn't hack the math.

The probable cement was going through Hurricane Camille in 1969! That was one of the most incredible experiences of my life! The next would have to be Hurricane Alicia during which a tornado tore the center out of a tree in our front yard. And of course there was Allison. Each one of these have a long story attached.

My ADDICTION finally came to a head when I discovered internet weather sites!! My dad would be worse than me if he were still here. He had just discovered computers and weather as a combination when he died in 1999.

[pojo]

Lets see, I've lived in Wisconsin all 20 years of my life (almost 21 years) and experienced the changing of the seasons. There is a long lying joke in Wisconsin...you can experience all 4 seasons in one week!
My mom lives 2 blocks from a sledding hill and my little brother and I would beg her that way we could go sledding. I would drive my step dad nuts and play outside during thunderstorms and rainfall! Yes I know, it was daring, but I loved (and still love) going outside in the thick of thunderstorms to watch the lighning jolt through the sky. I've been through TS Barry. We were in Key West, FL in 2001 when TS Barry moved over head. It was neat to actually be in a tropical system. We live only blocks away from Lake Winnebago, and my step dad loves Ice Fishing, needless to say, my brother and I would get into a snowball fight right on the ice. Also during the winter, my step dad would get the 3 wheeler out and he would pull us up and down the streets (up north of course...you can't do that stuff in the city.) Spring season...I love the thunderstorms that grace us with their presence in April and May. The pretty severe ones have move through in June causing thousands of dollars in Damage. During the summer...the heat waves! The fall is the colors! On campus, we have a few sugar maple trees that will "half" turn. The side towards the daytime sun will turn way before the other side will...if you don't believe me, I took pics last fall of the trees. Lets see, working at Channel 5, I had first hand experience of how the models forecast the weather. I also taped a few chroma walls and worked side-by-side with the mets to produce a forecast for the viewing public.

I'm still pursuing my addiction by graduating from UWGB in about a year and a half (4 1/2 years for me) and then attending a university that has a met program. UWGB doens't have a met program because the University is a small Division I school that only has 5,500 students. I have been doing my homework on other universities and the USAF. I am looking into the Hurricane Hunters (of course the USAF) and am currently talking with the recruiter about the Air Force and the Hurricane Hunters.

[StormCrazyIowan]

Our story is "If you don't like the weather in Iowa, wait 5 minutes!" hehehe I can't wait to dance in the first thunderstorm of the season!

[Rob-TheStormChaser]

Yeah no doubt...up here where I live you can get 4 seasons...20 microclimates and a whole lot more...inside of a day!

[Rainband]

I just love the awesome power of mother nature and love analyzing things 8)

[StormCrazyIowan]

Amen!

[GAStorm]

Here is a list of storms and events that have made a huge impact on me:

Winter of '87? - (-9 degrees in northern GA!) :o
Winter of '88 or '89 - Major snow/ice storm on the ground for over a week!
Blizzard of '93 - Best damn snowstorm I have ever witnessed!
Hurricane Opal - Packed wind gusts up to 70mph in northern suburbs of GA!
Winter of '95 - Snow and very cold. Temps in the teens during the day!
Tornado Outbreak '97 - Twisters touched down a mile from my house! :o

I actually saw a water spout off the coast of Destin, FL sometime in the early 90's as well.

Unfortunately, no weather event worth remembering for the new century!