PRACTICUM
DAY BOOK
By: Charley Fite
Featuring:
Ricky Matthews - senior meteorology major at UNCC
Entry 1 2/24/15
It is the first day of observing Ricky Matthews, a senior meteorology major here at UNC Charlotte. Ricky is the leader of the weather club (STORM) here, and is a well-known and respected meteorology major. Ricky also co-runs the UNCC Weather twitter account to provide weather information for the UNCC area whether it be a sunny day or a severe storm. Today Ricky was offered a broadcasting meteorologist job in West Virginia once he graduates so that is great news for him. Today there was a burst of snow showers in the early morning that accumulated to nearly an inch. Ricky says that that snow is only an appetizer for what is to come on Wednesday night, the 25th. A snowstorm is expected to come to the North Carolina and dump whopping 4-8 inches of snow, according to Ricky’s current forecast. When Ricky isn’t in class he is usually in the lab checking weather models and posting information to the public with a few of his other upperclassmen meteorology majors. Currently, he and his friend, Thomas, are working on creating a chart for a local police agency that asked for these meteorology majors advice on the confidence in the timing, amount, and dangerousness of the snow storm coming. Ricky informed me that he has a special social media account that allows him to post weather updates to the UNCC Weather twitter and his own personal twitter. It also allows him to contact local agencies or news stations for updates on wrecks or things that need to be helped spread out to the public. Ricky follows many, many, meteorologists on twitter and interacts with them to gain information, it is an excellent way to network. Ricky is now telling the chief of police that on Thursday morning the roads should be treacherous and that a winter storm warning will need to be broadcasted soon. Ricky tells me how he feels obligated to help provide this weather information to the public. The UNCC Weather twitter page has over 3,000 followers and is growing. Many people depend on the UNCC Weather account for updates and Ricky expressed how some people expect UNCC Weather to make decisions on school cancelation. Although, they do not have that authority to cancel class but they do relay the information once it is decided by the school. Ricky tells me that some people complain and get angry and tweet back at him, as if he can change the weather. Ricky says that he loves doing it, and of course he does face those challenges, but it’s all worth it. He then told me that the hardest part about running the twitter page is responding to people when he is busy, because just like everyone else, Ricky has classes and homework as well. This session ended with Ricky telling me that he expects this snowstorm to be a very big event that will start out as rain and turn to heavy wet snowflakes that will likely accumulate quickly. He feels very confident schools and classes being canceled due to unsafe roads.
Entry 2 2/26/15
Today is the second day of observing. The snow started yesterday on Wednesday the 25th. As many people have noticed, not as much snow fell as was expected. Ricky has been very busy today tying to explain to the twitter followers why we only ended up getting only about two inches of slushy snow. He told me that the majority of models were predicting that the rain/snow line would fall in upper South Carolina. Unfortunately for the people that enjoy snow, the rain/snow line suddenly shifted north a little bit, providing the Charlotte area with a lot of rain late during the middle of the night. That rain helped melt and wash away some of the snow and diminished the snow totals greatly. Many people are confused and upset at meteorologists for getting the public’s hopes up and Ricky has been trying to explain to people the reason for the small snow totals while trying to help people understand that we as humans do not control the weather and that sudden shift in the rain line. This is a good example of the challenges Ricky and many other meteorologists’ faces, getting the public to truly understand how weather predicting works. After discussing with me the “big snowstorm” Ricky taught me a little bit about how to read and understand some weather models and he told me which ones are more reliable. He showed me how different models often come up with very different forecasts so he has to find the average and most likely outcome for the impending weather. I have found that while observing Ricky and his friends, they really enjoy weather and providing information for the public. They play the radio and tell jokes and make it an enjoyable experience. Not only do they listen to the radio but also they have access to the broadcasts from the Air Traffic Control center at Charlotte-Douglas airport. I found this very interesting because we were able to basically see a model that shows the geographic location of all of the planes going to and from the airport. Also, while I was sitting here we heard a broadcast say that a plane had just encountered freezing rain at 4,000 feet. It became pretty apparent that Ricky and his team have a lot of access to outside sources so that they are up to date on important news. I feel that that is important that they stay up to date so that they are able to convey the right information to the public. Now that they have this twitter account and many people that depend on them for news and weather, they can’t be wrong when they post things. This was a very informative visit for me, I came to understand the weather models better and see proof of the struggles that meteorologists face conveying correct information to the public.
Entry 3 3/12/15
Today is a bit slower day for the UNCC-Weather twitter account. Whenever there is nicer and pleasant weather there isn’t as much to alert the public of so Ricky tweets out info telling people the high and to have a great day. Today Ricky is working on planning the Charlotte WeatherFest that will be held here on campus on March 21st. He has worked hard with his other STORM club members to bring real TV meteorologists to the event where lectures will be held, a weather balloon will be launched, and there will be many kid’s activities where they can make their own barometer and learn about clouds. There is a lot of planning going into this event. Food needs to be ordered and advertising has been a crucial part of getting ready for this event. Ricky uses the twitter account to network and get the public interested. It has become apparent that this twitter account has become useful for multiple reasons besides just sending out simple weather updates. The account has also really helped in letting the public learn more about the major of meteorology. Now, Ricky is looking up current info on space and apparently a “space storm” of radiation and magnetic is reaching earth today. He likes to stay informed and learn little information like this. Today, Ricky is in the meteorology lab with 3 other upperclassman meteorology students. One of them is working on homework while the others are monitoring weather models. Currently Ricky is now working on physics homework. He uses his time in between classes to do homework and of course monitor the weather and his twitter account. Ricky has accepted a job as a weatherman in Virginia so that is a big deal for him. He will be traveling up there on the weekends until he graduates and he will be working on those weekends. Once he does graduate he will begin working full time. Ricky is excited for this opportunity. He got some good reviews during his first broadcast in TV although he did receive a bad comment on Facebook where a viewer called him a “goober”. That is all part of being a public figure though, there will always be the people that have a bad opinion so I don’t think Ricky was too torn up about seeing that remark. Overtime his viewers will become used to him.
Entry 4 3/19/15
Today I assisted in creating a new bulletin board in McEniry for the STORM club. I helped design different weather items out of colored paper such as a sun, lightning, and a tornado. The bulletin board is being used as a way to advertise the meteorology program to other students. It will list upcoming events and whom a student should contact. Ricky and his friends needed help making this sign so I gladly helped them. Today it is a rainy day outside so Ricky is monitoring the radar so he knows when showers will reach the campus. He will update the students on twitter of when the rain arrives. While Ricky checks his weather models he is also doing statistics homework. He appears to be very good at multitasking and handling all kinds responsibilities at once, which could be why he has become president of STORM and been pretty successful while he has been at UNC Charlotte. Ricky has now struggled in opening his container of grapes he’s eating for lunch; maybe he is not as great at multitasking as I thought. Even though this project is based on Ricky, I have noticed that his two or three other meteorology friends that are typically in the room also are interesting to watch. Thomas, a graduate student is usually doing research so that he can graduate in May. Warren, a senior, usually is monitoring either the weather data, or the incoming airplanes at airports across the US. He also provides some comic relief for the others in the room with some witty remarks. Ricky has now told me that some of his tweets are actually automated and are sent at certain times of the day with certain info that is up to date with current weather conditions like the time of sunrise, sunset, and the highs/lows. It was neat to be able to spend the day helping create the bulletin board which will remain up there for year to come. I think Ricky, and his friends; have really impacted the meteorology program since they have been a part of it. Each little thing they do turns into a more monumental accomplishment. I desire to be like them when I grow up.
Entry 5 3/21/15
Today is WeatherFest at UNC Charlotte. I volunteered to help work this event so that I could show that I am wanting to be involved in the meteorology major even though I am still just a freshman. WeatherFest is actually an event created by Ricky Matthews that he came up with in order to promote the program publically. This was a public event where a few hundred people showed up. This is the first WeatherFest at UNC Charlotte so Ricky deserved a lot of the credit for getting it started here. During the event there were lectures led by professors on basic meteorology phenomena, tropical meteorology, severe weather, and so on. There were also many stations set up outside with many of the local TV meteorologists came and talked to the public, and other organizations such as the National Weather Service, storm-chasers, etc. There were also kids activities where children could learn and make crafts, and also there was a weather balloon launch at the end of the day, which was a crowd pleaser. Ricky had all of the volunteers show up a few hours before the event so that we could help set up and he could tell us what our jobs were. Ricky put me on kid duty so I spent my time at a kid activity table teaching kids about clouds and letting them create their own cloud identifier chart. I met so many kids that were wanting to be weathermen in the future. This was a rewarding task, getting to see the kids become fascinated with weather. Many of the local TV meteorologists promoted this event day’s prior WeatherFest so that helped greatly in letting the public be aware. Ricky spent most of his time monitoring the entire event and walking around to make sure things were operating smoothly. He planned this event for months to get it to be what it was. He used all of his connections with meteorologists to help find people that would be a part of the event and set up booths. Ricky uses his social media as a great way to network and it appears to have served him well. He also used the UNCC Weather account to inform the school of the event, which at least drew in a few students. Overall it was a successful event that the UNC Charlotte meteorology department hopes to continue each year all because of Ricky.
Entry 6 03/26/15
This has been an interesting day of observing. First off, yesterday on March 25 there was a tornado in Oklahoma (big surprise). It made the news seeing as how there was destruction and a loss of lives. Ricky has been keeping up to date on that information so that he can stay informed. It is not just the job of a meteorologist to only worry about the weather, but they pursue this career because they have a passion to help people and keep them informed. That relates back to my definition of a human experience, pursuing your happiness while helping others, and taking what life throws at you and trying to use it to make you stronger and better, all of which I have observed Ricky do since I have began observing him. Also, today I was able to go through an interesting experience by assisting (watching) Ricky and his meteorology friend perform maintenance on the weather station that is on top of McEniry. It required climbing many stairs, walking out on the roof, climbing a ladder (I don’t like ladders), and from there I watched as Ricky and his friend do what they do. There was an awesome view of campus from up there. I think I likely looked unprofessional taking pictures and sending them to my friends while I was up there, but thankfully Ricky is still a student like me so he does not judge, I’d hope. Getting down from the roof proved to be a little awkward for me seeing as how I am not a huge fan of ladders, although I realized I had gotten myself into that situation so I couldn’t back down at that point. I didn’t have to go out on the roof with them but I felt it would be a good opportunity to observe Ricky as they replaced the battery. That weather station records data constantly so that they can provide accurate data to the public. One of the meteorology majors who is a tech wizard has even set up a website where this data can be found. I think it is pretty impressive that these upperclassmen meteorology majors have gained so much trust and responsibilities from their professors. They have keys to the roof and access to perform maintenance on equipment, and the ability to run the twitter page and website. That seems like a colossal responsibility to me but I guess that part of college is learning to be independent like that and be trusted as an adult.
Entry 7 3/31/15
Ricky is not doing as much forecasting because it is a pleasant day with fair weather and the high in the upper 70’s. That being said, Ricky is spending this free time doing physics homework since there isn’t any immediate severe weather to alert the public of. Today is a pretty carefree day. It comes today that some days of being a meteorologist are easier than others. Whenever there are many storms and severe weather meteorologists will have to stay at work long after hours because of the public depending on them for news and updates on what they should be concerned about. Since that is the case for Ricky today he needs to fill up his time doing something more productive. Ricky needs to fill up this time doing work because he has a funeral to go to for the remainder of the week. The hard work that Ricky does now will pay off later, because it is teaching him to understand the value in applying all of the effort possible.
Entry 8 4/7/15
During this observation day it also happened to be the end of the year-long contest called the National Weather Challenge. I have been participating in this challenge all year where I submit a forecast for a designated location each day and then ranked on how accurate my forecast was. I and other meteorology majors here at UNC Charlotte participated and competed against other meteorology students around the country. I ended up placing first place out of all of the freshman and sophomore students here at this school. Ricky won first place out of the juniors and seniors who participated. We each won $75 gift cards for amazon.com, which I believe was a prize well worth the effort put into forecasting everyday of the week. I only participated in this year-long contest because Ricky and one of my earth science professor’s had suggested that I try it for experience. I am glad I participated in the contest because it taught me a few basic things about forecasting and how to interpret weather models. It was also a good way to get involved in the meteorology program and meet people even though I am just in my freshman year. Some days during the contest I would place higher than Ricky, but I feel confident that that was mostly luck on that part. Anyways, during today’s observation I, Ricky, and his other meteorology friends that also stay in the lab to do work were discussing this year’s weather challenge and how it was good that I participated and won something. After that Ricky started looking at some weather models to observe and track as system of scattered thunderstorms that are supposed to show up on campus later today. This is the beginning of that time of year where storms pop up and are common to see. Ricky says there will be a first band of storms that comes through this evening and then another later. It will be very warm and humid still because of the system that is moving in so this is a good example of spring time weather that will lead into the summer time. It should be a pretty rainy and stormy week as we transition from this cooler and moderate weather to the hot summer.
Entry 9 4/9/15
Today Ricky gave me a little lesson in meteorology. The last observation I had done, Ricky had told me that we should expect thunderstorms that night, and his forecast was correct. We got some decent rainfall and some lightning and thunder to go along with it. Today, there is another chance of thunderstorms this afternoon, however, there are a few important criteria that need to exist or happen in order for some storms to form. He was telling me that one thing that can be a warning sign of thunderstorms is the formation of cumulus clouds on a front. Cumulus clouds are basically the baby version of a future thunderstorm. Ricky said if he sees some forming that will give us a better chance at getting a storm. The HRRR model is showing storms in the forecast but the NAM model is not showing a sign of storms. Other factors that lead to storms forming is the uplift. Storms are created when the unstable air in a cumulus cloud rises rapidly and turn into a cumulonimbus cloud. Right now the uplift is at -6, which means the air is unstable and causing some uplift. One factor that affects the uplift is the temperature, and right now Ricky’s data shows that if the temperature rises to 84 degrees then that will start some uplift. Wind shear is also an important factor in forming storms and right now it does not look like it is at a very high level. However, Ricky says he doesn’t see any reason why some small storms could form. There is a boundary of thin clouds at the edge of North Carolina, which could signify that front moving in. Ricky also was telling me about something called “cape”. He says it is basically fuel for storms that keep it going. When there is a temperature inversion it causes the cape to form. A sufficient amount for storms is around 1000 cape but right now we have 2500 in upper South Carolina, so storms look likely. Just now, Ricky gave me an update on the clouds. Some cumulus clouds have started to form so that is a good. Cumulus clouds are known as fair weather clouds but under the right conditions they signify the future cumulonimbus clouds. Ricky is thinking that if these storms do pull through then we should expect heavy downpour in each storm. This was a very informative day for me where I learned a lot about how storms form.
Entry 10 4/14/15
Today is kind of a very rainy day on campus and it is supposed to be rainy all week. You know what they say, “April showers bring May flowers.” Ricky has shown me some models for the storms that are forming widely across the US. Right now there are some intense storms in New Orleans, Louisiana. Ricky says that storm is absorbing some of the moisture that would have otherwise made it up to us to cause even bigger storms for us here in North Carolina. He also showed me a model that portrayed the amount of uplift there is in the air in Louisiana and it matched up fairly well with where the rain was. This makes sense to me from a meteorological standpoint. Next, Ricky showed me some thunderstorms out west on a 3D model so I was able to see the hail cores and the rainfall strength from a multi-dimensional perspective. It was very interesting.
DAY BOOK
By: Charley Fite
Featuring:
Ricky Matthews - senior meteorology major at UNCC
Entry 1 2/24/15
It is the first day of observing Ricky Matthews, a senior meteorology major here at UNC Charlotte. Ricky is the leader of the weather club (STORM) here, and is a well-known and respected meteorology major. Ricky also co-runs the UNCC Weather twitter account to provide weather information for the UNCC area whether it be a sunny day or a severe storm. Today Ricky was offered a broadcasting meteorologist job in West Virginia once he graduates so that is great news for him. Today there was a burst of snow showers in the early morning that accumulated to nearly an inch. Ricky says that that snow is only an appetizer for what is to come on Wednesday night, the 25th. A snowstorm is expected to come to the North Carolina and dump whopping 4-8 inches of snow, according to Ricky’s current forecast. When Ricky isn’t in class he is usually in the lab checking weather models and posting information to the public with a few of his other upperclassmen meteorology majors. Currently, he and his friend, Thomas, are working on creating a chart for a local police agency that asked for these meteorology majors advice on the confidence in the timing, amount, and dangerousness of the snow storm coming. Ricky informed me that he has a special social media account that allows him to post weather updates to the UNCC Weather twitter and his own personal twitter. It also allows him to contact local agencies or news stations for updates on wrecks or things that need to be helped spread out to the public. Ricky follows many, many, meteorologists on twitter and interacts with them to gain information, it is an excellent way to network. Ricky is now telling the chief of police that on Thursday morning the roads should be treacherous and that a winter storm warning will need to be broadcasted soon. Ricky tells me how he feels obligated to help provide this weather information to the public. The UNCC Weather twitter page has over 3,000 followers and is growing. Many people depend on the UNCC Weather account for updates and Ricky expressed how some people expect UNCC Weather to make decisions on school cancelation. Although, they do not have that authority to cancel class but they do relay the information once it is decided by the school. Ricky tells me that some people complain and get angry and tweet back at him, as if he can change the weather. Ricky says that he loves doing it, and of course he does face those challenges, but it’s all worth it. He then told me that the hardest part about running the twitter page is responding to people when he is busy, because just like everyone else, Ricky has classes and homework as well. This session ended with Ricky telling me that he expects this snowstorm to be a very big event that will start out as rain and turn to heavy wet snowflakes that will likely accumulate quickly. He feels very confident schools and classes being canceled due to unsafe roads.
Entry 2 2/26/15
Today is the second day of observing. The snow started yesterday on Wednesday the 25th. As many people have noticed, not as much snow fell as was expected. Ricky has been very busy today tying to explain to the twitter followers why we only ended up getting only about two inches of slushy snow. He told me that the majority of models were predicting that the rain/snow line would fall in upper South Carolina. Unfortunately for the people that enjoy snow, the rain/snow line suddenly shifted north a little bit, providing the Charlotte area with a lot of rain late during the middle of the night. That rain helped melt and wash away some of the snow and diminished the snow totals greatly. Many people are confused and upset at meteorologists for getting the public’s hopes up and Ricky has been trying to explain to people the reason for the small snow totals while trying to help people understand that we as humans do not control the weather and that sudden shift in the rain line. This is a good example of the challenges Ricky and many other meteorologists’ faces, getting the public to truly understand how weather predicting works. After discussing with me the “big snowstorm” Ricky taught me a little bit about how to read and understand some weather models and he told me which ones are more reliable. He showed me how different models often come up with very different forecasts so he has to find the average and most likely outcome for the impending weather. I have found that while observing Ricky and his friends, they really enjoy weather and providing information for the public. They play the radio and tell jokes and make it an enjoyable experience. Not only do they listen to the radio but also they have access to the broadcasts from the Air Traffic Control center at Charlotte-Douglas airport. I found this very interesting because we were able to basically see a model that shows the geographic location of all of the planes going to and from the airport. Also, while I was sitting here we heard a broadcast say that a plane had just encountered freezing rain at 4,000 feet. It became pretty apparent that Ricky and his team have a lot of access to outside sources so that they are up to date on important news. I feel that that is important that they stay up to date so that they are able to convey the right information to the public. Now that they have this twitter account and many people that depend on them for news and weather, they can’t be wrong when they post things. This was a very informative visit for me, I came to understand the weather models better and see proof of the struggles that meteorologists face conveying correct information to the public.
Entry 3 3/12/15
Today is a bit slower day for the UNCC-Weather twitter account. Whenever there is nicer and pleasant weather there isn’t as much to alert the public of so Ricky tweets out info telling people the high and to have a great day. Today Ricky is working on planning the Charlotte WeatherFest that will be held here on campus on March 21st. He has worked hard with his other STORM club members to bring real TV meteorologists to the event where lectures will be held, a weather balloon will be launched, and there will be many kid’s activities where they can make their own barometer and learn about clouds. There is a lot of planning going into this event. Food needs to be ordered and advertising has been a crucial part of getting ready for this event. Ricky uses the twitter account to network and get the public interested. It has become apparent that this twitter account has become useful for multiple reasons besides just sending out simple weather updates. The account has also really helped in letting the public learn more about the major of meteorology. Now, Ricky is looking up current info on space and apparently a “space storm” of radiation and magnetic is reaching earth today. He likes to stay informed and learn little information like this. Today, Ricky is in the meteorology lab with 3 other upperclassman meteorology students. One of them is working on homework while the others are monitoring weather models. Currently Ricky is now working on physics homework. He uses his time in between classes to do homework and of course monitor the weather and his twitter account. Ricky has accepted a job as a weatherman in Virginia so that is a big deal for him. He will be traveling up there on the weekends until he graduates and he will be working on those weekends. Once he does graduate he will begin working full time. Ricky is excited for this opportunity. He got some good reviews during his first broadcast in TV although he did receive a bad comment on Facebook where a viewer called him a “goober”. That is all part of being a public figure though, there will always be the people that have a bad opinion so I don’t think Ricky was too torn up about seeing that remark. Overtime his viewers will become used to him.
Entry 4 3/19/15
Today I assisted in creating a new bulletin board in McEniry for the STORM club. I helped design different weather items out of colored paper such as a sun, lightning, and a tornado. The bulletin board is being used as a way to advertise the meteorology program to other students. It will list upcoming events and whom a student should contact. Ricky and his friends needed help making this sign so I gladly helped them. Today it is a rainy day outside so Ricky is monitoring the radar so he knows when showers will reach the campus. He will update the students on twitter of when the rain arrives. While Ricky checks his weather models he is also doing statistics homework. He appears to be very good at multitasking and handling all kinds responsibilities at once, which could be why he has become president of STORM and been pretty successful while he has been at UNC Charlotte. Ricky has now struggled in opening his container of grapes he’s eating for lunch; maybe he is not as great at multitasking as I thought. Even though this project is based on Ricky, I have noticed that his two or three other meteorology friends that are typically in the room also are interesting to watch. Thomas, a graduate student is usually doing research so that he can graduate in May. Warren, a senior, usually is monitoring either the weather data, or the incoming airplanes at airports across the US. He also provides some comic relief for the others in the room with some witty remarks. Ricky has now told me that some of his tweets are actually automated and are sent at certain times of the day with certain info that is up to date with current weather conditions like the time of sunrise, sunset, and the highs/lows. It was neat to be able to spend the day helping create the bulletin board which will remain up there for year to come. I think Ricky, and his friends; have really impacted the meteorology program since they have been a part of it. Each little thing they do turns into a more monumental accomplishment. I desire to be like them when I grow up.
Entry 5 3/21/15
Today is WeatherFest at UNC Charlotte. I volunteered to help work this event so that I could show that I am wanting to be involved in the meteorology major even though I am still just a freshman. WeatherFest is actually an event created by Ricky Matthews that he came up with in order to promote the program publically. This was a public event where a few hundred people showed up. This is the first WeatherFest at UNC Charlotte so Ricky deserved a lot of the credit for getting it started here. During the event there were lectures led by professors on basic meteorology phenomena, tropical meteorology, severe weather, and so on. There were also many stations set up outside with many of the local TV meteorologists came and talked to the public, and other organizations such as the National Weather Service, storm-chasers, etc. There were also kids activities where children could learn and make crafts, and also there was a weather balloon launch at the end of the day, which was a crowd pleaser. Ricky had all of the volunteers show up a few hours before the event so that we could help set up and he could tell us what our jobs were. Ricky put me on kid duty so I spent my time at a kid activity table teaching kids about clouds and letting them create their own cloud identifier chart. I met so many kids that were wanting to be weathermen in the future. This was a rewarding task, getting to see the kids become fascinated with weather. Many of the local TV meteorologists promoted this event day’s prior WeatherFest so that helped greatly in letting the public be aware. Ricky spent most of his time monitoring the entire event and walking around to make sure things were operating smoothly. He planned this event for months to get it to be what it was. He used all of his connections with meteorologists to help find people that would be a part of the event and set up booths. Ricky uses his social media as a great way to network and it appears to have served him well. He also used the UNCC Weather account to inform the school of the event, which at least drew in a few students. Overall it was a successful event that the UNC Charlotte meteorology department hopes to continue each year all because of Ricky.
Entry 6 03/26/15
This has been an interesting day of observing. First off, yesterday on March 25 there was a tornado in Oklahoma (big surprise). It made the news seeing as how there was destruction and a loss of lives. Ricky has been keeping up to date on that information so that he can stay informed. It is not just the job of a meteorologist to only worry about the weather, but they pursue this career because they have a passion to help people and keep them informed. That relates back to my definition of a human experience, pursuing your happiness while helping others, and taking what life throws at you and trying to use it to make you stronger and better, all of which I have observed Ricky do since I have began observing him. Also, today I was able to go through an interesting experience by assisting (watching) Ricky and his meteorology friend perform maintenance on the weather station that is on top of McEniry. It required climbing many stairs, walking out on the roof, climbing a ladder (I don’t like ladders), and from there I watched as Ricky and his friend do what they do. There was an awesome view of campus from up there. I think I likely looked unprofessional taking pictures and sending them to my friends while I was up there, but thankfully Ricky is still a student like me so he does not judge, I’d hope. Getting down from the roof proved to be a little awkward for me seeing as how I am not a huge fan of ladders, although I realized I had gotten myself into that situation so I couldn’t back down at that point. I didn’t have to go out on the roof with them but I felt it would be a good opportunity to observe Ricky as they replaced the battery. That weather station records data constantly so that they can provide accurate data to the public. One of the meteorology majors who is a tech wizard has even set up a website where this data can be found. I think it is pretty impressive that these upperclassmen meteorology majors have gained so much trust and responsibilities from their professors. They have keys to the roof and access to perform maintenance on equipment, and the ability to run the twitter page and website. That seems like a colossal responsibility to me but I guess that part of college is learning to be independent like that and be trusted as an adult.
Entry 7 3/31/15
Ricky is not doing as much forecasting because it is a pleasant day with fair weather and the high in the upper 70’s. That being said, Ricky is spending this free time doing physics homework since there isn’t any immediate severe weather to alert the public of. Today is a pretty carefree day. It comes today that some days of being a meteorologist are easier than others. Whenever there are many storms and severe weather meteorologists will have to stay at work long after hours because of the public depending on them for news and updates on what they should be concerned about. Since that is the case for Ricky today he needs to fill up his time doing something more productive. Ricky needs to fill up this time doing work because he has a funeral to go to for the remainder of the week. The hard work that Ricky does now will pay off later, because it is teaching him to understand the value in applying all of the effort possible.
Entry 8 4/7/15
During this observation day it also happened to be the end of the year-long contest called the National Weather Challenge. I have been participating in this challenge all year where I submit a forecast for a designated location each day and then ranked on how accurate my forecast was. I and other meteorology majors here at UNC Charlotte participated and competed against other meteorology students around the country. I ended up placing first place out of all of the freshman and sophomore students here at this school. Ricky won first place out of the juniors and seniors who participated. We each won $75 gift cards for amazon.com, which I believe was a prize well worth the effort put into forecasting everyday of the week. I only participated in this year-long contest because Ricky and one of my earth science professor’s had suggested that I try it for experience. I am glad I participated in the contest because it taught me a few basic things about forecasting and how to interpret weather models. It was also a good way to get involved in the meteorology program and meet people even though I am just in my freshman year. Some days during the contest I would place higher than Ricky, but I feel confident that that was mostly luck on that part. Anyways, during today’s observation I, Ricky, and his other meteorology friends that also stay in the lab to do work were discussing this year’s weather challenge and how it was good that I participated and won something. After that Ricky started looking at some weather models to observe and track as system of scattered thunderstorms that are supposed to show up on campus later today. This is the beginning of that time of year where storms pop up and are common to see. Ricky says there will be a first band of storms that comes through this evening and then another later. It will be very warm and humid still because of the system that is moving in so this is a good example of spring time weather that will lead into the summer time. It should be a pretty rainy and stormy week as we transition from this cooler and moderate weather to the hot summer.
Entry 9 4/9/15
Today Ricky gave me a little lesson in meteorology. The last observation I had done, Ricky had told me that we should expect thunderstorms that night, and his forecast was correct. We got some decent rainfall and some lightning and thunder to go along with it. Today, there is another chance of thunderstorms this afternoon, however, there are a few important criteria that need to exist or happen in order for some storms to form. He was telling me that one thing that can be a warning sign of thunderstorms is the formation of cumulus clouds on a front. Cumulus clouds are basically the baby version of a future thunderstorm. Ricky said if he sees some forming that will give us a better chance at getting a storm. The HRRR model is showing storms in the forecast but the NAM model is not showing a sign of storms. Other factors that lead to storms forming is the uplift. Storms are created when the unstable air in a cumulus cloud rises rapidly and turn into a cumulonimbus cloud. Right now the uplift is at -6, which means the air is unstable and causing some uplift. One factor that affects the uplift is the temperature, and right now Ricky’s data shows that if the temperature rises to 84 degrees then that will start some uplift. Wind shear is also an important factor in forming storms and right now it does not look like it is at a very high level. However, Ricky says he doesn’t see any reason why some small storms could form. There is a boundary of thin clouds at the edge of North Carolina, which could signify that front moving in. Ricky also was telling me about something called “cape”. He says it is basically fuel for storms that keep it going. When there is a temperature inversion it causes the cape to form. A sufficient amount for storms is around 1000 cape but right now we have 2500 in upper South Carolina, so storms look likely. Just now, Ricky gave me an update on the clouds. Some cumulus clouds have started to form so that is a good. Cumulus clouds are known as fair weather clouds but under the right conditions they signify the future cumulonimbus clouds. Ricky is thinking that if these storms do pull through then we should expect heavy downpour in each storm. This was a very informative day for me where I learned a lot about how storms form.
Entry 10 4/14/15
Today is kind of a very rainy day on campus and it is supposed to be rainy all week. You know what they say, “April showers bring May flowers.” Ricky has shown me some models for the storms that are forming widely across the US. Right now there are some intense storms in New Orleans, Louisiana. Ricky says that storm is absorbing some of the moisture that would have otherwise made it up to us to cause even bigger storms for us here in North Carolina. He also showed me a model that portrayed the amount of uplift there is in the air in Louisiana and it matched up fairly well with where the rain was. This makes sense to me from a meteorological standpoint. Next, Ricky showed me some thunderstorms out west on a 3D model so I was able to see the hail cores and the rainfall strength from a multi-dimensional perspective. It was very interesting.