What is forensic meteorology?
The forensic meteorologist, who may act as either a background consultant or an actual testifying expert, will collect, interpret, and analyze atmospheric data in sup port of insurance fraud claim investigations, civil and criminal trials, and environ mental regulatory actions. The forensic meteorologist may be employed directly by an insurance company, the attorneys for either the plaintiff or defendant in a case, or, with increasing frequency, may be appointed by the court itself. Regardless of the employing party, it is not the role of the meteorologist to be an advocate for either side in a dispute, but to assist the judge and/or jury in understanding the often complex facts in a case so that they may reach an appropriate verdict.
Some typical problems dealt with in forensic meteorology include the following:
An automobile accident was caused by poor visibility—was that from a natural fog or pollutants from a nearby industrial plant? Was the building damaged by a tornado or a straight line thunderstorm wind? A person was found dead near a downed power line—was it a fault in the utilities’ line or a lightning strike? How can we demonstrate that rain fell at a site that is located many miles distant from any National Weather Service reporting station?
The forensic meteorologist may collect standard weather observations, assemble weather radar and satellite imagery, process weather data taken by a party in the case, or locate non-standard sources of data such as lightning ground stroke reports or atmospheric data taken by air pollution monitoring networks. These data are then used in a comprehensive analysis of the meteorological facts pertinent to a case. There is increasing use of sophisticated computer graphics and video animation of weather information in trials and administrative hearings. Most forensic meteorologists have had long and varied careers in the atmospheric sciences, and it is their hard-earned expertise that is in demand. Few recent graduates can expect to be heavily engaged in such activities until they have significantly enhanced their resumes. Most successful forensic meteorologists have met the qualifications of Certified Consulting Meteorologist (CCM).