We are in the process of adding a new feature to whatever-weather.com: audio podcasts of our interviews with meteorologists about their weather jobs and weather research.  This feature will be helpful for those who don’t have the time to sit and watch full video interviews at their computers and would prefer to just download the conversation to a mobile device.

As a first try, I am taking my first “What’s Your Weather Job?” interview ever and making it available as an audio file.  Here is WRAL-TV meteorologist Nate Johnson describing his job as a weather producer at a busy TV station and answering questions about what he sees for the future of his chosen career path:

What’s your weather job, Nate Johnson?

If you haven’t had the chance yet, and you’d like to watch our video interviews with meteorologists about their jobs and research, check out our video page!

Communication can seem like an uphill battle, especially when it comes to communicating risk in regards to the weather. Meteorologists can use every tool in our arsenal to give advance warning of severe weather outbreaks, blizzards, floods, hurricanes, and other natural disasters, and still we end up with stories like the one last night when anchor woman Diane Sawyer on ABC News said that the recent tornadic storms in the south struck without warning.

No warning? Really? The Storm Prediction Center issued a PDS (Particularly Dangerous Situation) Tornado Watch hours before the storms got started. On Sunday morning, meteorologists on facebook, twitter, and other social networking sites (myself included) were warning their friends and followers about the potential for a major outbreak that evening. All you had to do was open your eyes. There were warnings everywhere!

So even with social media, the strong online presence of the Storm Prediction Center, the National Weather Service, private companies like weather.com, the weather underground, etc., NOAA weather radios, text alerts from local TV stations, local Emergency Broadcast/Alert Systems, and more, a national news anchor can still claim that the storms struck without warning? What does she or anyone else making that claim want? A knock on the door? “Hello, I’m your friendly neighborhood weather woman. You may want to pay attention today because we have a severe weather threat in the forecast.” That’s not going to happen.

If a tree falls in the forest and no one is there to hear it, does it make a sound? Of course, it does! The meteorologists were yelling “timber!” on Sunday. Anyone not paying attention can’t claim they didn’t try to warn him or her. All they can do is claim ignorance, and with so many ways available to get warnings now, ignorance is no excuse.

ABC News should issue a formal apology to meteorologists everywhere for insinuating that we weren’t doing our job. The news is not about the anchor’s perspective. It should be about the facts, and the facts are – THERE WAS WARNING. The warnings began days in advance as meteorologists started to see the potential threat develop in the forecast models. When the potential became more concrete, the warnings became more numerous and louder. The day of the event, the warnings were everywhere. The meteorologists were doing their jobs, Ms. Anchor Woman. Why don’t you do yours?

I don’t normally repost parts of old blogs or new emails, but I think this is important enough to do so.  The American Meteorological Society’s 92nd Annual Meeting is in New Orleans January 22-26.  While I , sadly, will not be able to attend, I encourage all attendees to do one of the most important things any professional can do: meet new people!  Networking is highly useful in a job hunt, whether you are looking for yourself or a friend.  It is especially helpful for future and recent graduates who have had limited opportunities to meet others in the field beyond their former classmates.

To that end, the AMS is hosting its 2nd Annual Reception for Young Professionals at this year’s AMS Annual Meeting.  Here is the information quoted from yesterday’s email:

What: 2nd Annual Young Professionals Reception sponsored by SAIC Date:
Sunday, January 22, 2012
Time: 9pm – 11pm
Location: Hilton Riverside Hotel, Grand Salon A

There will be a business card competition to encourage networking at
the event, so please remember to bring your business cards. It doesn’t
matter if you printed them at home or they are professionally printed!

Now for the repeating of an old post.  It was one of our first after launching whatever-weather, and I still believe the message is a valuable one. I did make some minor edits just to update the info a bit.

The Art of Networking

January 29, 2010

There’s an old saying that it’s not what you know, but whom you know.  In the business of meteorology, I think it is really about both.  You have to know the weather, but knowing the right people helps in a big way when job hunting.  So how do you get to know the right people?  By networking, of course!

There are a few things to consider when thinking about the art of networking.  First, no matter what a person’s position in life is right now, it will likely change in the future.  In other words, the person you meet today might be a second-year meteorology student struggling to comprehend atmospheric thermodynamics, but a few years from now, that person could be a hiring manager for a major company.  Introduce yourself to the students and professionals alike in this field.  No one knows what the future holds.

If possible, never miss an opportunity to network in person.  Those opportunities come in the form of conferences both big and small.  I have made some great connections at the National American Meteorological Society’s conferences.  With thousands in attendance, it would be difficult not to.  I have made almost as many good connections at the Minnesota Skywarn Workshop.  Wherever you happen to be, in order to really meet people, you have to put yourself out there.  Introduce yourself.  At conferences and workshops especially, you know you have something in common with the other participants.  It should be easy to start a conversation.  Seriously.  Even non-meteorologists start conversations by talking about the weather, right?

If you can’t afford to hit the many conferences and workshops around the country, focus on a more local type of gathering.  A good example is the local chapter of the AMS.  Not only do you meet people with similar interests, but you get to share ideas and information in a more intimate setting.  The knowledge I have gained from those meetings has helped me along my path in this business.

Beyond face-to-face meetings, there is a plethora of ways to network on the Internet including LinkedIn, twitter, and facebook among others.  LinkedIn lets you post your own professional profile, connect with others in the same business, and join groups of like-minded people.

Twitter is a bit more simple and complicated at the same time.  It may take longer to weed through the huge number of users to find those with similar interests, but they are out there.  When you find them, you will suddenly find many more like them by using “features” like #FollowFriday.  The use of twitter could be an entire blog in itself, really.  By the way, you can find us on twitter, too!

How you use Facebook depends entirely on your own preference.  For example, I use it to keep up with people that I truly know and have chatted with face-to-face with a few rare exceptions.  For me Facebook is more personal and I can really be myself on my own page without worrying too much about what my friends think.  After all they are my friends.  For others, Facebook is another way to really expand their professional networks.  Whatever-Weather has a group page and a “fan” page on Facebook.  Please join us there.  You might just meet new people that way, too.

The goal of networking goes beyond just making new acquaintances.  In the process, you have the opportunity to learn new things, too.  For example, you may be a life-long broadcast meteorologist and you meet a NASA space weather scientist.  Think of all of the possible subjects you can discuss and information you can share!  You could tell her about life in front of a green screen and being recognized in the grocery store.  She could tell you how sunspots effect the earth’s global temperatures.  Then you both walk away better on yet another level for having spoken with each other.

In summary, there are multiple ways to network, and I have only covered a few here.  However you choose to do it, networking always starts with one thing: an introduction. “Hi, my name is Nicolle. I co-own Whatever-Weather.com.  What do you do?”

Let’s be honest: climate changes.  Before “global warming,” we were worried about “global cooling.”  Politicians and bureaucrats got involved in the discussion.  The media started talking about it, and eventually obsessing over it.  And now, somehow one’s political affiliations presumably defines his/her stance on it.

The phrase “climate change” has gone from a simple description to a hot button topic, which in the minds of many encompasses more than just the weather.  Everyone has an opinion and everyone thinks he/she is right.  So now you can’t discuss a heat wave,  blizzard, tornado outbreak, or hurricane without someone going on a tangent about climate change.  Often those tangents lead to heated discussions that become politically charged and occasionally those debates dwindle into name calling and hurt feelings.

What happened?  Nevermind what happened.  We as meteorologists and climatologists need to take the climate back.  I’d be happy if the politicians and bureaucrats would stay out of the debate, but at this point in the game, that’s asking too much.  What is a more reasonable goal is educating the public on how humans adapt – how we’ve adapted through the ages and how with continuing advancements in technology we can adapt in the future.

There are plenty of ways to adapt our behaviors on both small and large scales with potentially great long-term results for everyone involved.  These changes go beyond just the weather and will positively affect our quality of life.  For example, in drought, there are rain catchers.  For storm runoff in urban areas, there are permeable pavers and rain gardens.  Regarding electricity, there are solar panels, wind turbines, and hydroelectricity.  Don’t forget geothermal technology and simpler ideas like basic composting and smart agriculture.  Most of these are not new ideas, but they are novel to many people.  If we can educate and encourage more of the population about options such as these as well as energy star rated appliances, environmentally friendly building techniques, etc., and make them affordable, then we can make a difference in a bigger way than tying up resources in government and bureaucracy.

The more a phrase becomes politically charged, the more close-minded people become to it.  As it stands now, you can’t have a conversation about being good stewards of our natural resources without concern that someone will assume they know your political leaning. My political viewpoint is my business.  Yours is your business.  The weather, earth, air quality and water quality are everybody’s business.  There is a natural tendency for people to rebel and question authority without thinking through why laws and edicts are enacted.  People are more likely to do the right thing concerning all of the above if they are taught how and why (and if the choice is economically feasible) rather than having it dictated to them or legislated for them.

We need to take the word climate back from the politicians and pundits and return it to the realm of the weather world.  Doing so will clear the way for us to have open and honest discussions about our options without fear of social and political reprisals.  After all, if all parties are not participating without fear in a conversation, then all parties are not being honestly represented.

As whatever-weather.com closes our second year online, we’re making a few more tweaks to the site and adding some new features.  In recent months, we started a new video feature called “What’s your weather research?”  We plan to continue that one.  It’s goal is to educate the interested public, meteorologists and weather enthusiasts alike, about what students and researchers across the country are studying regarding our weather and climate, and at the same time, to give those researchers an opportunity to showcase their work on a larger stage.

Our next addition will be a regular feature on our blog titled “What’s That Weather Word?”  In it you will get the official definition of a meteorological term followed by a translation into plain English.  If you, are interested in a specific weather term, please comment on the blog, or email us through our contact page.  We’ll be sure to include your request in a future entry.

We are also working on a few more items to be added soon.  Stay tuned to see what’s next!

Whatever-weather.com continues to grow, and we’re adding a new element to our informational video tab.  Starting with our interview with North Carolina State University PhD. student Casey Burleyson, we’ll be asking researchers about their topics of study.

As it is with “What’s Your Weather Job?” the goal of “What’s Your Weather Research?” is to inform and educate those within the field, those considering becoming meteorologists, and the curious public in general about what is going on in the world of weather.  Think of it as our contribution to the public outreach that the American Meteorological Society has been encouraging recently.

Of course, we are interested in your feedback.  If you are a researcher and would like to be involved in this endeavor, please use the contact tab to let us know.  If there is a field of study that you would like to hear/see more about, let us know that as well.

Thank you, and again, please help spread the word about whatever-weather.com!

I just wanted to take a minute to mention how great it is to have friends.  Friends help each other in good times and bad.  Friends are honest with each other even when the truth hurts.  Friends stand by each other even when one makes mistakes.  Friends make the world a better place.

I’ve had many conversations with friends recently who are unemployed or underemployed and looking for work.  In a tough job market such as ours, it can be easy to want to limit the competition when you find a job that seems just perfect for you.  Maybe it’s tempting not to tell your friend who is looking for the same type of job until after the job closes, or at least after you’ve submitted your rockin’ resume.  Wait!  That’s not what friends do.  Friends help each other out, remember?

There’s nothing like a little competition to bring out the best in each other.  Tell your friend who’s searching for the same job as you are about every posting you find!  Share the link on facebook, twitter, and LinkedIn when you see it.  Does that sound crazy?  I don’t know.  Maybe it is, but it’s the right thing to do.  Then get together with those co-conspirators and critique each other’s resumes, correct grammar in cover letters, and give each other a morale boost!

The song says “I get by with a little help from my friends,” for a reason.  Helping makes you feel better.  Helping cements the personal bonds between people.  Helping makes the world a better place.  Do you see where I’m going here?

Share with your friends even if it means you have a little more competition in the already flooded job market.  Sometimes giving someone else a boosts clears the way for your own success down the road.  Enjoy a little friendly competition, and may the best man or woman win!

When I was about thirteen years old, my father gave me some advice.  I don’t remember what led up to it other than he and I were in the car returning home from an errand.  Since I have three siblings and Dad worked out of town, it was rare to get that one-on-one father/daughter time.  I’m sure his intention was to warn me against boys, but what I took from this advice was so much bigger.  He said, “You only get one reputation, and once you’ve ruined it, that’s it.”  Of course, that’s probably not a direct quote, but it’s pretty close.

At thirteen, I was an awkward, nerdy, tom-boy who took ballet.  Boys were not interested in me, so Dad had nothing to fear.  Still, the advice resonated and kept me out of trouble later in life.  It’s good to be concerned about how others perceive you to a degree.  Never let fear of ridicule keep you from doing the right thing, but you should consider your reputation before doing anything rash.

We’ve seen some pretty dramatic examples of this in the news recently, but you don’t have to be a politician with a funny name to be concerned that your actions online may have an adverse effect on your reputation.  Most web savvy people know that once you post something online it’s there forever, or at least a digital shadow of it remains even if deleted.  If you’re planning on inviting friends, coworkers, professional contacts or potential employers to follow you on twitter, friend you on facebook, or link with you on LinkedIn, then you should be sure that you post only what you would want them to see, or in the case of facebook, block them from seeing those party photos that might cause concern.  In fact, it’s really safe to assume that nothing posted online is truly private or secret with the ability to copy and paste available to everyone.

There’s even more to personal branding than just caution on the web.  You really have to walk the walk in your everyday life.  People can spot a fake from a mile away, and often they’ll tell the online world when they do.

So what is personal branding anyway?  A brand is defined in several ways.  For the purpose of this discussion, it is “a kind or variety of something distinguished by some distinctive characteristic.”  The idea of personal branding is relatively new and pertains to the fact that as a professional, you want to make a name for yourself by standing out in a good way.

Think about the brands you love: Coke, Gap, Apple, Sony, etc.  They stand out in a good way.  They represent a quality product in your mind.  You’ve developed an affinity for them and would choose them over competitors.  Personal branding takes that idea and applies it to one person: yourself.  Who you are and who you present yourself as to the world should be one in the same.  Any place your name appears online should honestly reflect you as a person.  Ideally.

In reality, we are all flawed because we are all human.  We are all unique and complex because we are all human.  What personal branding does is try to highlight our best aspects while ignoring or glossing over our worst.  Maybe instead we should use it to see ourselves in an objective, realistic light and challenge ourselves to become the people we are presenting ourselves to be.

Your personal brand = your reputation.  Live up to it and protect it, so you are able to promote it when necessary.

In my experience as both a communication professional and a meteorologist, I’ve learned that sometimes the most effective way of explaining a difficult concept is by using a good analogy.  (I once used a pizza to explain limited advertising inventory to TV sales people, and they got it.)

Recently, I sat down with Ryan Boyles of the State Climate Office of North Carolina to interview him for our “What’s Your Weather Job?” video feature.  After the interview, we chatted for a while about the difficult task of explaining meteorology and climatology in plain English.  One of the many issues addressed during the conversation was finding analogies to make it simple.

A prime example is using an ice skater’s movements to help explain vorticity.  However, there is not always an easily relatable reference for every topic.  Take climate change, for example.  The data points to the fact that the average global temperature is increasing.  Some will argue the extreme point of view that man is causing every bit of it.  Others will take the opposing extreme stance that we’re coming out of an ice age, so of course, we’re warming.  The general public is left to decide which side to bet on.  Many are tired of the arguments.  They just want to know what’s really happening.  They’re asking if all of the recent events involving tornadoes hitting heavily populated areas are due to man-made global warming.  They seem to expect a simple “yes” or “no” answer.  Right now, in all intellectual honesty, a simple answer is not possible.

However, a simple analogy to explain why the simple answer doesn’t exist might be possible.  So what analogy can we use?  It must be something with which most people can relate on some level.  The only thing I can think of is baking a cake from scratch.  Many ingredients go into a cake.  Altering the type or amount of any one can dramatically change the outcome and flavor of it.  A baker might experiment with different ingredients to find that perfect flavor or the amount of flour and eggs to get the perfect density.  Even time plays a role in the outcome.

So what if we used the cake analogy to try to explain the climate, or better yet, to explain how researchers are trying to create better models to more accurately predict the future of our climate?  The modelers are trying to find the right mix of ingredients that will lead to a realistic outcome.  They’re still working on the recipe.  Once developed, each recipe has to be tested and retested for consistency and flavor.

My analogy still needs some work.  Maybe you can think of a better one.  If so, please share in the comment space below or post in the forum.  All ideas are welcome.  As meteorologists and climatologists, we are all in this together.

For some meteorologists, one of the biggest challenges of their jobs is when they have to explain what they do for a living to non-science minded people.  Recent meteorology grads are fresh from being tested on words such as adiabatic, ageostrophic, vorticity, etc.  I speak from experience when I say that it’s hard to return to describing the weather in simple terms fresh out of school.  On my first day on the air at Weather Eye Radio Network, one of the radio hosts that I spoke with live asked me to explain the Santa Anna winds to an audience in Dickinson, North Dakota.  That request not only took me by surprise, but it took me a minute to find a way to explain them without using technical terms that very few in that small town in western ND would understand.  I was pretty proud of myself when the live hit was over, but the episode reminded me that with all of my new found vocabulary came a new responsibility: explaining science in plain English.

If you think of this responsibility as a war on weather ignorance, broadcast meteorologists are on the frontlines of this battle.  The National Weather Service is right there with them.  Most people get their weather forecasts from the TV and radio.  Some have their local NWS website bookmarked.  Others look up Weather.com or one of the many news related sites for their local forecast.  While reading the forecast is an important part of a person’s day, very few people think about what goes into creating it.  All they want to know is will it rain?  How warm will it be this afternoon?  Do I need a jacket?  Then, if the forecast is a bust, we all hear how worthless meteorologists are.  We mets know better, but there can be some hurt feelings involved in that assessment depending on who is making it.

The American Meteorological Society has been focusing on this idea of communicating science to the public in recent years.  There are so many different aspect of the weather forecast that we take for granted, but are not so easily understood by the general public.  Take for example, precipitation probability forecasting or severe weather probabilities.  We see 20% and call it a slight risk.  The public sees 20% and assumes there’s no risk.  After all, in most cases in other aspects of daily life, 20% isn’t worth betting on.  How often has a 20% chance of thunderstorms produced the pop-up style, summer time, convective storms with heavy rain and plenty of lightning?  The joke there is that if you’re under one of those, your chances of getting wet go up considerably from 20% to 100%.  Joking aside, explaining the percentages and risk categories is our responsibility.

Aside from explaining statistics to our users/viewers/readers, what else can we do to help them understand the weather?  Explaining some basic definitions is a good start.  No, I don’t mean the “rain is water from the sky” kind of basic.  I’m talking about things like the difference between hail and sleet, a watch and a warning, a shower and a sprinkle.

When we define terms in a simple manner, everyone starts from the same page.  I’ve seen a few local meteorologists do a great job of explaining why a winter storm system may drop freezing rain or sleet depending on the temperatures in the different levels of the atmosphere.  It seems like a difficult thing to explain, but with the use of good graphics, it’s possible to sum it up in 30 seconds.  When the audience sees why it’s so hard for us to pin down whether we’ll get sleet or enough ice to snap power lines two days out, they might give us more credit when we get the forecast right, or at least cut some slack when it’s not perfect.

Still, the point of this blog entry isn’t credit or blame.  The point is helping everyone to understand the forecast and what it means to them in their daily lives.  They’re looking for the answer to whether or not to grab the jacket, the umbrella, gloves, or sandals.  They need to know if they should set their NOAA weather radios to alert in case of severe weather or flash flooding.  They need to know if they should consider moving valuables to higher ground.  If we arm them with the definitions of terms like “watch,” “advisory,” or “warning,” then we give them a better opportunity to be proactive.

This is a battle that we’ve been fighting for years, and it probably won’t end any time soon.  However, if we keep at it and reach a few people each day, we’re doing our jobs.