What are your credentials?

[Derek Ortt]

I work at the University of Miami's Rosentiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science in a research position, where I research tropical cyclones, primarily intensity changes.

Needless to say, there is starting, for the first time all year, to be some chatter at the office about the real possibility of a major hurricane

[Guest]

36 years of looking up, then licking my finger and holding it up in the air.

[The_Cycloman_PR]

I'm a puertorican amateur with 22 years of tropical cyclone self studies. I have been chasing hurricanes since I was 10 when I tracked my first hurricane, David 79. Since then I am fascinated with this nature wonders. I spend my free time researching for puertorican hurricane history including data of all our hurricane landfalls since 1508 until present. I am president of a hurricane amateur society where hurricane fanatics meet and share information and opinions about weather and cyclones.

Here is the link of our last August meeting.

http://www.geocities.com/cyclomanpr/SCHPmeeting.html?1059981691898


This weather site represent for me a great learning experience. There are many meteorologists that use their valuable time to post here so people like you and me can learn a lot about tropical cyclone day by day, but also there are many amateurs that have a big and I have to say BIG meteorological knowledge and they amplify the background of Storm2k's great team of amateur and pro-mets forecasters. Their post represent a vast learning experience and I am sure...really sure!!! that from the best meteorologist of this board into the most tiny amateur with the least meteorological knowledge, EVERYONE!!! has something Important to apport sometimes! So everyone in a way is important here... I have been here for about 9 months now and I can tell you I have found interesting things from everyone...(And I've been running around several tropical boards for many years now, many people here know me from Gopby and Hurricanecity to mention some, and I tell you... here I found home!!)

This is a great board!! Reading them ALL you can get many benefits!!!

Cycloman.

[Tommedic]

Just an amateur. Actually am a Paramedic in Wilmington, NC. Began tracking hurricanes as a child in Charleston (SC not WV) as my dad was in the Navy on a destroyer and had to put to sea everytime they thought one would hit Charleston. Had a legend with for a long time. During the times I lived in Charleston, all passed us by. Moved from 59-62... Guess what, Charleston got hit. Left Massachusetts in 1962, oops Mass got hit. Lived in Charleston until 1971. Everywhere I moved had some weather event either just before I got there or right after I left. Then in 1996 all changed.. Bertha, Fran, etc. I guess I lost my lucky charm.
Anyway, I appreciate everyones input. Though I tend to try to use visible sat pics more than models, I appreciate the role all aspects have in forecasting. Personally, I think a good forecaster would say that there is a little guess in all forecasts. As for me, I don't forecast, I speculate.

[Biloxi]

I have been following tropical weather since Camille 69. I was a pre-teen at the time but it's something that I will never forget. I live a few houses off the beach now in Pass Christian, Ms. I am not as well versed with the tropics like, MW,Cyclone,DT..to name a few, but I have been reading and studying tropical weather for years now. I have a decent grasp of the models and terminology and enjoy researching previous storm climate scenerios to apply to current storm situations. Welcome to the board. I have found everyone to be very helpfull and just great to interact with.

[WeatherNLU]

Atmospheric Science degree from the University of Louisiana at Monroe. Worked at WWL-TV Channel 4 in New Orleans (off-air) for two years and worked a year (off-air) at KTVE-TV Channel 10 in Monroe, LA. Have done some radio broadcasting for a local radio station as well, mostly during times of severe weather and hurricanes.

[bev1]

Just a hurricane freak!
Pebbles--when are you due?

[KeyLargoDave]

I came to South Florida, specifically the Keys, as a reporter in 1987 and have lived here since. I got to cover many astronomical, meteorological and marine phenomenon, from Halley's comet (standing on Indian Key Fill at 4 am with Jack Horkheimer from the Miami planetarium and a crowd of sky watchers) to storms to ship groundings to algae blooms. I met many of the scientists and experts on South Florida environment, natural history, and so on. I was lucky enough to see the inside of an offshore lighthouse on the Keys where Coast Guardsmen rode out Hurricane Donna. I interviewed survivors of the Labor Day Storm (1935 Long Key) and attended the yearly ceremonies honoring the dead at the Hurricane Monument in Islamorada.

I went through a weak (barely Cat-1) Hurricane Floyd in Key Largo in 1986 or 87 (where are my notes?). I evacuated from the Keys the day before Andrew. I drove through the zone of destruction every day afterward as I commuted from the Keys to Miami for my job. I saw the worst of what Andrew did first hand, and suffered no property damage myself.

A few years back, I interviewed two scientists at the NOAA Hurricane Research Center on Virginia Key (I believe this is the right agency name) and wrote an article about the guys, Griffin and Franklin, who developed the next-generation dropwindsondes and computer software being used to gather data from inside and in the downstream environment of hurricanes. If I can find my HTML version of the article, I'll post a link.

I have a strong interest in weather and hurricanes, especially because I don't want my ass to get caught in one down here.

[ColdFront77]

I would love to be a professional (behind the scenes) meteorology... but without wanting to go to college; I unfortunately am not going to be getting my degree.

I graduated from Florida State with a BS in Meteorology in 1988. I've been in the broadcast met biz since then - currently the Chief Met at the CBS affiliate in Tallahassee (so yes - I am watching Isabel quite closely).

I have corresponded with a few television meteorologists and a couple from National Weather Service offices. It is wonderful to communicate with those that are actually working in the meteorology field on television, radio and the National Weather Service.

Mike, if you don't mind me asking, have you mentioned Storm2K on your weather reports?

[JetMaxx]

I can't say I'm a professional meteorologist, but know far too much to call myself an amateur....

Severe storms, tornadoes, and hurricanes have been my #1 passion since age 12....nearly three decades. I chased both hurricanes and tornadoes here in the southeast in my younger days; became a Skywarn storm spotter in 1982.

I'm analytical and enjoy researching....which is what I've done regarding hurricanes and tornadic events of the past. I don't just know the stats, but have strived to know the how's and why's the major storm events of the past have occurred (i.e. - what made hurricanes Camille, Gilbert, and Allen so intense, and what atmospheric factors came together to create the April 3, 1974 Tornado "Superoutbreak and 1994 Palm Sunday tornadoes).

Until the summer of 2000 and coming onboard the internet, my forecasting ability was limited to a vast knowledge of climatology and basic forecasting skills I'd learned in my research...but the past three years I've learned to read and interpret forecast model data and other forecasting tools from several of the best professional meteorologists alive....David Tolleris aka WxRisk.com, NWS meteorologists Brian Peters and Tony Cristaldi; and former Weather Channel OCM Patrick Core (chief meteorologist at WDEF-TV in Chattanooga, TN).

I now consider myself an accomplished forecaster, and my forecasts bear that out. You ask about my credentials....let's just say professional meteorologists occasionally email me with questions regarding past major hurricanes and tornado outbreaks they don't know the answer too...nor any of their peers at the tv weather center or NWS office.

I was asked on several occasions to become a forecaster at Storm2K...both as a tropical weather and severe weather forecaster; and offered a forecasting position with NEMAS...which I humbly declined to accept due to family committments. I've written nearly a dozen articles for internet weather websites, including a review of the 2002 Atlantic hurricane season for Lou's Weather Watch; also several articles for Storm2K and NEMAS.

Yours Truly,
Perry L. Williams aka JetMaxx

[ColinD]

I tracked my first hurricane, David 79.

Same here and right after that was Frederic.

[abajan]

Wx247 has posted over 10,000 times and only joined this board in February of this year?

Good Grief! That's amazing!!

[Suzi Q]

Just a freshman meteorology student now, attending HCC and have applied to Texas A & M for the spring semester (which explains why I have NO fingernails left!). Will have completed 28 hours by December since starting in June of this year. I've been through Alicia and Allison but was fortunate enough to be in Australia when Carla came through in 61, which should tell you I'm WAY too old to be just starting college. Don't ask me what's going on with the weather, the more I learn, the more I realize I don't know squat!

[wxman57]

Although I''m now a "Professional Met", I started out like many of you - a complete weather nut. Born in Lafayette, LA, my mother taught me how to track hurricanes when I was 4 years old (1961). Living through hurricanes like Hilda in '64 and Betsy in '65 probalby sealed my fate. My nickname as a kid/teenager was "weatherman". I loved studying severe thunderstorms and hurricanes in particular.

After 2 years at USL as a Chemical Engineering major (no meteorolgy degree offered there) I switched my major to meteorology and attended Texas A&M. Worked in the school weather station there as a Skew-T plotter (because nobody else liked plotting them) for the lab classes. I spent more time at A&M chasing tornadoes than studying, but did pretty well there. Graduated with my B.S. in Meteorology in May of 1980.

Spent about a year working offshore down near the southern tip of Argentina as a marine forecaster. Sure is cold and windy down there - and the constellations are all upside-down. But I've never seen a brighter sun. It's white all the way down to the horizon due to no pollution.

Switched to my current employer in 1981 where I worked as a marine forecaster up to 1984, aviation forecaster/supervisor to 1997, and then my current position as superviror and lead hurricane forecaster for the "non-aviaiton" weather team.

Part of my duties involve traveling around the country each spring, giving talks about hurricanes. You'll find me at about all of the hurricane conferences each spring as well. So if I'm not forecasting hurricanes, I'm talking about them. And if I'm doing neither of those, I'm thinking about hurricanes. I work a 12-hour hurricane shift then come here to talk more about hurricanes. When I'm too sleepy to type any more, I go to bed and dream about huricanes.

[ColdFront77]

I have been teaching myself complex meteorological issues with the assistance of professional meteorologists online, (as I said above)... however not too many too often. If I cannot be a meteorologist, having contacts with as many as possible would be the next best thing.

We can't all do what we want when we have no way to go to college to get our degree.

[pojo]

I'm currently at senior at UW-Green Bay. UWGB does not have the Met Major, so I've been cramming my brain with Environmental and Earth Science classes (yes some met classes were involved in the major). Although graduation is not til May of 2005 (4.5 year track), I have been looking at universities around the CONUS for pursuing the Met degree. Right now, the main choices are Madison (Wisconsin), Oklahoma, South Alabama and Hawaii. I also have to consider proximity to Air Force Reserve Bases that way I can drill. Right now, being part of the Hurricane Hunters would be awesome, but that is a goal that I am working towards.

Like most of you, my friends and family ask me how the weather is going to be in the next 24/48 hours.

I worked at WFRV in Green Bay for about a year and for most of the time, was back in the weather center helping out the mets.

Although Wisconsin is in the upper midwest, I'm quite interested in the tropics. I do what I can to stay informed about the tropical systems that grace the waters of the EPAC, CENPAC, ATL, GOM and CARIB.

[weathergymnast]

I'm currently a sophmore and Penn State University. I'm studying to be a meteo major. I like to go the forecasting root.. but I also would like to take some of the tropical classes they have.. which is not under the forecasting deploma.