Day 0: Welcome!

Hello everyone! I would like to welcome you all to my blog centered on my Severe Weather Forecasting Field Trip that I will be going on for the next two weeks! I will be storm chasing with some of my fellow Rutgers meteorology students and with one of my meteorology professors, Dr. Stephen Decker. During this trip, I will be able to apply all that I have learned in the classroom out in a real-world setting. I will also be learning more about the weather, specifically severe weather. Also, for the duration of the trip, you get to tag along with me as I write and share my experiences about forecasting, observing, and analyzing severe weather in one of the most active areas for severe weather: Tornado Alley. They’ll be lots of pictures and videos, so look out for some awesome shots of both severe weather and of stops we make along the way in search of said severe weather. There will also be some deep dives into the processes and concepts that go into forecasting and analyzing severe weather.

But first, here’s a quick recap what happened today! Today our class met for an orientation to discuss the guidelines of the trip and what to expect during it. Thankfully, the room we met in was not as hot and humid as it was outside at the time. We then settled van arrangements and forecast teams for the duration of the trip. The class is divided into 3 forecast teams, each getting a chance during the trip to forecast the weather and where to go for a day. I’m a part of the first team, and thus, get to forecast the weather for the first day of the trip and where we ultimately decide to go first.

We begin our trek west on Wednesday, June 1st at 6:00AM (or 10Z for those that are familiar with UTC time). I won’t give too much away yet, but we’re eying up some potential severe weather for the Ohio Valley for Wednesday and also for the Texas Panhandle on Thursday. Which way we decide to go has not been fully decided yet, but I have a feeling we’ll be able to see some severe weather in passing before heading out to the Great Plains.

Wish us luck for a safe journey (and for some prime severe weather), and I hope you enjoy this blog!

Yours in Weather,

Kyle David