Forensic Meteorologists

Did natural fog or the release of pollutants from an nearby industrial plant cause poor visibility that played a role in a 20-car pile-up on a nearby interstate?

Was a building damaged by a tornado or straight line winds from a thunderstorm?

What were the weather conditions the night of a murder, and do they support the claims of the accused that he could not have been at the murder scene because of heavy snowfall that closed roads where he lived?

Did wind or a storm surge cause property damage?

What were the weather conditions like in the moments before pilots made the disastrous decision to try to land during a heavy rainstorm?

These are just a few of the questions forensic meteorologists are hired to answer by insurance companies, engineering firms, law enforcement agencies, and other employers. They gather and assess a variety of information—such as weather observations and models; forecasts, watches, and warnings from the National Weather Service; radar and satellite data; data from weather balloons; citizen observations; readings from lightning detection equipment and other sensors; and data from horticultural research stations—to recreate past meteorological conditions. They may also visit the site of an accident where past meteorological conditions may have played a role in order to assess conditions and gather information.

Once they have collected and assessed the information, forensic meteorologists write reports or testify under oath as expert witnesses regarding their findings. They use specialized software to run simulations or to create digital recreations of weather conditions before an incident in order to support their findings. The work of forensic meteorologists is extremely important because it brings clarity to past events and allows judges and juries to make educated decisions about the guilt or innocence of a defendant or who (if anyone) is liable for damage caused by a meteorological event. For example, a forensic meteorologist may determine that no natural fog or other adverse meteorological conditions were present on the night of the 20-car pile-up mentioned earlier in this section, which would increase the likelihood that the accident was caused by pollutants from the industrial plant. In another example, a forensic meteorologist might determine that wind (rather than a storm surge) caused property damage. As a result, an insurer would likely not be required to compensate the policyholder because the policy did not have a special rider for wind damage.

Forensic meteorologists often specialize within the field. For example, a meteorologist may specialize in wind damage or snow and ice conditions, while others may focus on aviation weather or air pollution cases.