I've been a broadcast meteorologist on television since the early 1990's. Happy to answer any questions about the weather or local TV news. Yes, I often wear sneakers on set just out of view of the camera.
Pretty easily detected in thunderstorms with Doppler radar. You are correct, we still use spotters heavily. Radar usually sees rotation above ground in the storm. Since the earth is round it curves away from the radar beam which is why the spotters are so critical providing "ground truth". Warning times have increased over the years and will continue, especially with new radar technology coming over the next few years.
Creative thinking. Probably a huge cost to transporting that water but even if you could get it there the prevailing atmospheric winds would carry the water vapor to east, away from the areas that need it. Keep thinking!
Possible and does, Joe! http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/?epac
Some cities are more competitive than others but in general I think we are usually friendly with each other. I had lunch with a competitor a few weeks ago. And, to beat that, I married one of the meteorologists from a competing station when we met at a live event! Sometimes managements frown on hanging out with "the enemy". We all draw from the same sources of forecast data. The differences can come from time spent in the market, preference for one computer forecast model over another in a given situation and overall experience. Usually the biggest differences will come during bigger events, like a snow storm or tropical weather, or there is no agreement among the different computer forecasts. Great question, thanks!
Yoga Instructor
Bouncer
Veterinarian
Excellent question, Krissy. Snow occurs when the temperature is below 32 from the surface of the earth to as high as 10,000 feet. Sleet occurs when a warm layer of air develops in between the ground and the formation zone so the snowflake melts and refreezes in the cold layer next to the ground.
Hi, Zac. No you would need to convert that water to vapor to move it across the country.
Most of the data we use is readily available to anyone, but some services require a fee. All computer models have one bias or another. The enhancement that the humans try to bring is trying to understand the biases and account for them. In a breaking or severe weather situation the humans add updates that are very short time (minutes). Hopefully we also add a connection to the audience and a sense of personality, both friendly and serious. Great question, thanks!
-OR-
(max 20 characters - letters, numbers, and underscores only. Note that your username is private, and you have the option to choose an alias when asking questions or hosting a Q&A.)
(A valid e-mail address is required. Your e-mail will not be shared with anyone.)
(min 5 characters)
By checking this box, you acknowledge that you have read and agree to Jobstr.com’s Terms and Privacy Policy.
-OR-
(Don't worry: you'll be able to choose an alias when asking questions or hosting a Q&A.)