Some are weather-wise, some are otherwise.

Ben Franklin.

For the past 15-years or so, I have created countless weather maps from the best weather model data available in the world at the time. I am fascinated with numerical weather prediction perhaps one of humanities greatest inventions. Now, the cost to run a weather model these days is pennies and you can download the data for free from NOAA or subscribe to a service to see the “Euro” model

But the benefits are orders of magnitude greater because most aspects of human life are affected by the weather. However, unless it is extreme weather, most folks take the day in stride with knowledge in the back of their head that it is either going to be a nice day or it might storm later. The most common way to get your weather forecast is via one of the many pretty good mobile Apps on your phone. Or, you tune into your favorite television meteorologist or listen on the radio. You really have to consciously try to avoid the weather forecast if you consume any media.

Meteorology is obviously more complicated than temperatures on an App. How does that data get from satellites in space to your handheld device?

This newsletter is hopefully going to be more than just random thoughts about ongoing weather which you can get from a bunch of different places. Instead, I want to show you how I see the weather from the PhD-level scientific view and as a true fan and hobbyist.

I grew up watching John Hope and turning the television to the Weather Channel at :50 past the hour in the mid-1990s right when the Atlantic was cranking up in activity. I remember seeing Fran (1996) on a tiny 13-inch (color) television and can only think back about how much has remained the same even 25-years later. Rhapsody in Blue with the United Airlines travel planner still takes me back in time when I hear it.

I am still thinking about the format of this newsletter and will take any suggestions. I usually spend my time on Twitter but I am quickly learning that weather is not all that popular on social media as we head into mid-2020. So, I’d rather cultivate an audience here and help everyone become the best possible armchair meteorologist.