I was awoken this morning...about 0500...to the sound of the county tornado siren. Instead of rolling over and going back to bed, I quickly got up to check things out.
I don't think people are supposed to love severe weather. You are supposed to be wary, dare I say scared, of it; dread it heading your way. Sure there may be a chance of large hail which could really dent the crap out of your ride...Sure there may be strong wind which could bring down a tree limb, or God forbid the whole tree, on top of your house...Sure there may be flooding and your humble abode is turned into a castle by the rain moat. I don't care. OK, I do care, but my adrenaline starts to flow and I'm much more excited at the chance to go outside and look at the sky, get online and check the weather radars, and check the tv to see if the weatherman is telling me to go to my "safe place."
See, I may be a stay-at-home mom in real/everyday life, but deep down I'm a scientist. After 4 years (yes, I graduated "on time") and thousands of dollars paid to Iowa State University I walked away with my B.S. with a major in Meteorology and a minor in Math.
I wanted to be a meteorologist as long as I can remember. I used to watch the tv weatherman point at his maps with the long, telescoping pointer - it looked like an antenna he had broken off the nearest transistor radio - and think, "Yep, I can do that." It was well before green screens, computers and the handheld "clicker" they use now to advance the map screens.
This was also well before there were any "weather-women" on tv. To this day, I hold female weatherwomen to a higher standard. They had better be true meteorologists, not just a pretty face to say "It's gonna rain." If they are meteorologists, they had better be good on tv. Make me believe that you truly know what you're talking about. If you look or talk ditzy, I will turn the channel. But I digress...
At ISU, most of the professors' desires were to work on their research rather than be good or helpful in the classroom. Despite this, I learned to derive crazy long equations. I learned how to read the charts and forecast products. I learned how to ask the senior meteorology students for tips and techniques. I spent 2 semesters working (they call it a "co-op" - work there for college credit, not money) at the local TV station. That was a good experience. Knowing how it all works behind the scenes and learning the tips and techniques from a professional is very helpful. By my senior year, I actually won the student forecasting contest one semester.
But, being a devoted military spouse, any career hopes I had in the meteorology world have long since flown. Most places don't want to employ a young, new meteorologist when they know you're leaving in 2-3 years. Now I'm just old and have been out of the field for too long. There's no way anyone would hire me for that job now. I'm pretty sure I wouldn't even know how to turn on the equipment now, let alone use it to make a forecast!
Thankfully, there are many weather related web sites that are easily accessible. My favorite is the National Weather Service page. NWS are the folks who really make the forecasts. (The TV guys use the NWS guidance and products! Bet you didn't know that, did you?) They work in tiny buildings, usually near airports, and employ perhaps some of the smartest people you would ever know. (A classmate/friend of mine from ISU works at the NWS office in Des Moines...we were pretty equal in the classroom...I'm extremely proud of his success.)
So although I don't have access to all the bells and whistles of the weather world anymore, I will continue to pull up what I can on my home computer and tv. I will go outside and watch the clouds. I will turn on my weather radio. (If you don't have one - get one!) I will let my neighbors know if the storm is not headed for us, even when the siren is going off. (This can be incredibly important for my military neighbors who may have never lived in tornado country before.)
I will continue to do these things because, once upon a time, I had the knowledge, and the degree to prove it...and as they say...knowledge is power.
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