Weather forecasting

What does it take to become a Weather Forecaster?

Minimum

• Low educational requirements 
• Bachelor’s Degree in atmospheric sciences or meteorology 
• Some employers will accept any four year degree
• Level of education requires you to read weather data proficiently 
• Maximum
  • Must demonstrate advanced proficiency in multiple courses
  • Show understanding of information fluidly

Meterology - Big Thomspon Flood of 76' Mrs. Tuorto Fall 2019 Presentation

The Big Thompson Canyon Flood:

The Deadliest Disaster in Colorado History

By Sergio Villar

2019 - Fall - Meteorology - Tuorto

Flooding has always been the deadliest natural disaster. It has impacted many areas around the world and is regarded the most fatal of natural disasters. No matter how beneficial it first was to farmers (silt for growing crops effectively), floods can get out of hand.

When more water falls than can be regulated by the soil or reservoirs, overflowing occurs and water spills out in an uncontrolled and hectic manner. 

The waterfall from storm surges, tsunamis, and thawing snow can easily result in several inches to feet of water, which, when flowing, can easily move aside cars and loose objects, endangering lives. 

Fluvial - An occurrence taking place when water levels from a river, lake, or stream rise and overflow. This overflow can damage other river flows, in the sense that streams may pick up power and destroy dams, thus leaving all surrounding to be submerged. Flat land will flood at a much slower rate, while floods occurring in sloped (downstream, hillside) will flow and travel in minutes.

Pluvial - The flooding can occur WITHOUT a major (or even without any) source of water (rivers, banks of water, ponds) Surface: Drainage system overwhelming = Leakage of water at a SLOW but DAMAGING rate

Flash Floods: Intense rainfall that is dangerous because of debris and speed (pressure) of water 

Coastal - Windstorms/Tsunamis cause coastal flooding. Windstorms during high-tide = devastating damage and losses of life. Strength, size, speed, direction, etc. are all important parts in determining the severity and imminent danger from the coastal floods. Older flood records may be studied to determine danger. 

The Thompson Flood

On July 31st of 1976, when the sky darkened and the clouds formed, no one expected an impending disaster. In a matter of less than 4 hours, a record 12 inches of rain was dropped from the skies, leading to a 20-foot-high wall of water cascading down the mountain sides and absolutely demolishing everything in its’ path. Clouds piled as high as 12 miles into the sky and let forth one of the greatest rainfalls in modern history. The waters rapidly descended the V-shaped canyon and swept up debris (propane tanks, cars, huge boulders). An estimated 3,500 people were camping, fishing, and hanging around the canyon area (reference: the Coloradoan), and in turn, 144 lives were lost to the flood waters. The deceased include children as young as 2 and the elderly as well. Many brave police officers lost their lives in their efforts to securely evacuate people trapped or unaware of the impending flood.

The following Sunday morning of August 1st, hundreds of people needed to be helicoptered out of the newly flooded, and very dangerous, land. The following days were sad, dreary, and emotional ones, as families gathered at local hospitals looking for the bodies of their deceased and missing loved ones. 

Although many lives were lost in the devastating and unprecedented flood, the lives lost were not forgotten. On the 25th anniversary of the flood, 2001, a Stone Memorial was placed near Drake, Colorado, in memoriam of the 144 who lost their lives. Yearly, families come out to the canyon to remember those who they lost in somber silence, loving communion, or solemn emotion. 

Now, safety regulations in case of floods have obviously grown and there are now markers in several locations for safety purposes.

Summary of 1/22/16 snow storm

There are different types of snow storms
When it's snowing there are certain categories of what type of snowstorm it is.Snow Flurries falling at a limited amount of time/short Snow Squalls Intense wind with intense snow. Snow showers- Snow falling at different speeds for a certain amount of time. Then there is a Blizzard A severe type of snowstorm that is between 50-56 mph of winds blowing while its snowing. After knowing what the different types of snow storm there are different levels of a snow storm. First there is Extreme-Highest(current snow storm/blizzard. Then there is Crippling-Not as high as highest. Then there is Major-mediocre normal snow storm. After major it is significant. Significant- a decent amount of snow. Then there is Notable.- not that much snow very tolerable. After knowing this you may ask what was the snow storm of 1/22/1. It was A category 5 blizzard. It was Referred as one of the worst blizzards in the east coast. It Affected the east coast. And it Lasted until the 24th of January. Now you mask also ask what were the effects it had on people. It had Over 100 million people were affected. It was 2-3 feet of snow (24-36 inches) foot snowfall was spread across the region/nation/states. There was Traffic everywhere turnpikes/highways were shutdown. People had frozen tires and were unable to go home and they were stuck inside their cars. Winds reached 50-60 mph making it hard to go outside and it Caused a lot of problems in general. That was all of 1/22/16 snowstorm.

Weather Broadcasters

   A weather broadcaster is a person tasked with the responsibility to gather and collect data about constantly changing weather conditions.

weather broadcasters have to have these skills:

• You must be able to work with a team
• You must be able to shoot and edit weather material
• Develop on-air graphics easy to understand weather presentation
• Analyze data accurately and quickly

Entry level Meteorologist: between 40,000-50,000 yearly

Al Roker salary: 10 million yearly

Weather broadcasters who worked their way to national television average 3 million and 15 million yearly.

Hurricane Sandy

The aftermath of a Neighborhood in NYC

Hurricane Sandy hit U.S soil Oct. 24th, 2012, destroying approximately $70 billion in property and changing the East Coast for many years to come. Hurricane Sandy went down as such a devastating Hurricane but why? Sandy was a very big Hurricane -- 1/3 the size of the U.S. -- and had its power amplified by the full moon because of the stronger tides. Sandy was also followed by a strong blizzard that did not allow people any time to recuperate from Sandy. The severity of Sandy also has to do with the places it hit. The most destruction was done in NY and NJ. In NY, Wall Street lost power and people, for obvious reasons, were not able to go to work. Although this did not really impact the economy all too much, it shows just how serious this was. In NJ, it's not that people were not able to go to the beach. The beaches were literally destroyed. Whole towns were flooded and flattened which shows how this Hurricane just ravaged the East Coast. One positive thing to come out of this Hurricane was that because of Obama's efforts with Hurricane survivors, his poll numbers were doing much better. 

Daniel Gabriel Fahrenheit

 Fahrenheit was born on May 24, 1686 in Danzig, but lived most of his life in the Dutch Republic. The Fahrenheits were a German Hanse merchant family who had lived in several Hanseatic cities. Daniel was the eldest of the five Fahrenheit children. He lost both parents on the same day, Aug.14, 1701 because they ate a poisonous mushroom, and was thereafter apprenticed to a shopkeeper in Amsterdam. However, Fahrenheit's interest in natural science led him to begin studies and experimentation in that field.

First modern thermometer, the mercury thermometer with a standardized scale, was invented by Daniel Gabriel Fahrenheit in 1714. It helps meteorologist today because it helps them know which areas of the state or country is going to be hot or cold. We in America measure the degrees of hot and cold by Fahrenheit. He discovered the boiling and freezing point of water on the thermometer.

After inventing the thermometer and studying chemistry and physics Fahrenheit settled in The Hague as a glassblower, making thermometers. From 1718 onward, he lectured in chemistry in Amsterdam. He visited England in 1724 and was the same year elected a Fellow of the Royal Society. Fahrenheit died in The Hague and was buried there at the Cloister Church in England. (He died on September 16, 1736)