Lion Carl Prescott introduced the guest speaker, distinguished KOTV Chief Meteorologist, Travis Meyer at the September 18th meeting.
Meyer opened his presentation by thanking Lion Carl Prescott, who had interned with him many years ago, for inviting him to speak.
Meyer told the members that technology was advancing rapidly and just as improvements in medical technology have saved lives, so have the improvements in meteorology also saved lives. Meyer then spoke of his relationship with the famed meteorologist, Don Woods. Meyer worked with beloved meteorologist, Jim Giles and told the audience that Jim really loved the weather, but his failing health due to exposure to Agent Orange in Vietnam had taken its toll. Giles later died as a result of that exposure. Meyer mentioned his working relationship with honored meteorologist Dick Farout and the discussions that he and Faurot had about when to retire.
The veteran meteorologist said he was not happy with the corporate takeover of KTUL by a company that owned 200 stations. After going through a bureaucratic nightmare just to purchase a printer, he thought to himself, “There must be a better way.” He subsequently went to work for KOTV. Meyer said he enjoyed working for a locally-owned business that provided him with state-of-the-art equipment, eight storm trackers and a helicopter.” I just thank the Lord I work for channel 6.” David Griffin, one of the owners, told Meyer, “If you are going to work for me, you are going to take care of Oklahoma. I am going to give you the equipment to do it, and I want you to make sure you take care of Northeast Oklahoma.”
Meyer praised his entire staff and his storm trackers. He said he had great people to “prop him up” to do great things.
Meyer injected some humor about global warming by showing a graphic that displayed underwear from the 1800s to the present that gradually shrunk in size. On a more serious note, Meyer said that he has spent a lot of time looking at weather data, and major weather events. He stated he did not like the media taking weather events out of context. “Things are changing, but when we look at the historical perspective, it always is.”
The topic of discussion turned to severe weather. Meyer stated that there have been 133 tornadoes in Oklahoma this year. He praised the KOTV storm trackers “ We have some of the best storm trackers and they are right there.” Meyer said that for severe storm warnings the station cuts in during commercial breaks, but if it is a tornado warning, they “go non stop.”
The locally famous meteorologist discussed the use of social media for weather information, however, he lamented the lack of privacy, citing instances of people coming up to him at restaurants wanting a selfie.
Meyer utilized a graphic of a radar image to illustrate where they place spotters to view the storm. He emphasized that many times radar was unclear if there was a tornado present. That is where the spotters augment the radar. He said that there have been instances that he did not wait for the National Weather Service to issue the warning, because a KOTV spotter had confirmed a tornado and an immediate warning was necessary.
Meyer showed slides of the horrific damage from the Joplin, Missouri tornado. He then pointed a white object in a picture of a home that was utterly destroyed. He then displayed a close-up showing that the white object was an above-ground Safe Room. Meyer stated that the technology used in these above-ground shelters has vastly improved and they will withstand the most violent storms and provide safety for the occupants. One advantage is that it is quicker and easier to seek shelter in an above-ground Safe Room.
At the end of the presentation, Meyer held a Question and answer session the first question asked was if the rotating wall cloud shown in a slide would become a tornado?. Meyer said that for a rotating wall cloud to become a tornado the dynamics have to be “picture perfect.”
The second question asked was how accurate are extended forecasts? Meyer said that the NWS is in the process of transitioning of using computers to run some of the forecasting and they “just oversee it.” Meyer said that he utilizes 3 different computer models, which are averaged to compile what is known as an “ensemble.” The ensembles have a better chance of being correct. He said that an 8-14 day outlook is about 65 percent accurate. Meyer quipped that throwing a dart at a dartboard was nearly as accurate.
The Lions Club meets every Wednesday at Noon at Steak and Eggs.
