A message from our President:

After the Eye of the Storm
Alan Sealls, NWA President 

Hurricane Michael was devastating and deadly—a storm that put operational meteorologists to the test not just in forecasting, but also in communicating threats. Thanks in part to spot-on landfall forecast position and timing from the National Hurricane Center and Hurricane Local Statements from NWS offices, I, as a broadcast meteorologist, was able to relay the most likely scenario to my viewers and social media followers. My broadcast area is centered on Mobile, Alabama, just west of Panama City, Florida, so we were spared. 

The day before landfall, I was bombarded with this question on social media: “When will it turn?” I’m often asked to explain something that people hear somewhere else. I still haven’t figured out if there were debates on social media about a hard turn like that of Hurricane Irma toward Florida, or if this was related to some off-the-cuff comment made by a broadcaster. I spent too much time and energy with that question, taking away from more critical safety information I wanted to impart. It seemed like there were a lot of armchair meteorologists on social media watching and opining as though it were a sporting event. Without a doubt, there were people in the Florida side of my viewing area, closer to Destin and Pensacola, who were highly concerned that the lack of a turn would have put them in the eyewall. 

The damage and loss of life from Hurricane Michael was sad but not unexpected for such a powerful storm. My references are Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Ivan. I got a first-hand look at Hurricane Michael aftermath inland on a journey from Mobile to Tallahassee on Interstate 10.

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Fall Weather Safety:

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