Quick-Fire Quips is a questionnaire where we get to know people who stand out in the State of Alabama! In this episode, Alabama Public Radio host Baillee Majors talks with meteorologist Gerald Satterwhite with the National Weather Service in Birmingham (NWS).
Baillee: Hey, Gerald, how are you?
Gerald: Hey, Baillee, excited about the interview. Thanks for the invite.
Baillee: Yeah! Really happy to have you on. For those who are unfamiliar, can you explain what the NWS is?
Gerald: The National Weather Service is part of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), and our big mission is collecting weather data that can help us make forecasts and let the public know what kind of threatening weather may be coming their way.
We also issue warnings for those weather systems—hurricanes, blizzards, tornadoes, flash floods—so people can take steps to remain safe.
Baillee: Well, now the introductions are done. Let's get you warmed up to answer the questionnaire. To do that, I want you to say "Quick-Fire Quips" three times fast.
Gerald: Quick-Fire Quips. Quick-Fire Quips. Quick-Fire Quips.
Baillee: Here's the first question: what comes to mind when you hear "Alabama"?
Gerald: When I hear Alabama, of course, it’s got to be football!
Baillee: What is a hidden gem in Birmingham that more people should know about?
Gerald: Oak Mountain State Park is a great place. I just love nature, getting out on the trails, and looking at native plants and animals and that sort of thing.
Baillee: What's in season right now? And what is your favorite kind of plant?
Gerald: There are a couple of cool-season perennials that come up; you get some violas and stuff like that. And there are a lot more of the native plants and grasses that come up and bloom. My favorite plant, I would have to say, is the pale purple coneflower.
Baillee: What is a bad stereotype or something that people get wrong about Alabama?
Gerald: There's some stuff that's not sports-related that people can get involved in. I'll just keep an eye out for different alternative rock artists that come through different venues in downtown Birmingham—Saturn and WorkPlay and those places.
Baillee: What is the role of the NWS when it comes to public information?
Gerald: Step one is collecting that weather information that we need to observe and forecast. We can then predict what's going to happen five hours from now, or five days from now.
We're on the lookout for any kind of weather that could be threatening public safety—flooding rains, a winter storm, tornadoes, or a hurricane—so that people can adjust their plans and make sure they're prepared for that weather.
Baillee: The weather can be temperamental, and things change pretty quickly.
Gerald: Yeah, that's a great point. Usually, it's something we can pick out in the models five to seven days out, and we're just kind of looking at the general pattern.
It's really not until we get closer—and those weather models are able to start picking up on some of the other fine details in the atmosphere—that we can really pick it out until we're one to three days out.
Baillee: Sometimes, I've heard meteorologists talk about the 2011 tornado outbreak and how it changed weather communications for Alabama.
Gerald: Yes, the Super Outbreak of 2011—April 27th. There were a lot of tornadoes that occurred that day, but there were also a lot of tornado warnings issued where nothing happened. That creates what we call a "false alarm." People start taking those warnings less seriously.
So, there was a lot of research done at our office to say, "Hey, can we look at these storm environments and pick out which storms are more likely to produce a tornado than not?" We're able to lower the amount of warnings we’re issuing so that, in the future, when people do hear a tornado warning being issued by our office, they take it more seriously.
Baillee: What is something you wish more people knew about when it comes to weather preparedness?
Gerald: You've got to remain weather-aware throughout the year. Just keep the weather in mind. We always want to check back for forecast updates—the forecast is always evolving.
Keep in mind that we can have dangerous weather in the middle of the night, so you want to have multiple ways to get those warnings, including at least one or two that can wake you up from your sleep.
Baillee: If you could change one thing about Alabama weather, what would it be?
Gerald: Oh, that's an easy one for me. I would like to get more snow. I wish we had...
Baillee: Oh, really? Oh, gosh. What is the appeal?
Gerald: Just watching it fall, pile up on the ground, and then that anticipation—three inches or six inches? It just makes for a pretty season.
Baillee: Do you have any superstitions or irrational fears?
Gerald: I don't. I guess I have a little bit of that daredevil in me. I've stepped under the ladder, I've opened the umbrella, I've done all the things people say not to do, and I'm still here.
Baillee: So, tell me something on your bucket list.
Gerald: Some sort of international travel—something in South America or somewhere like Western Europe.
Baillee: Did you have a childhood hero when you were growing up?
Gerald: I was a "weather weenie," so various tornado researchers, you know, especially out in Oklahoma—Dr. [Roger] Wakimoto and Howie Bluestein.
Baillee: So what do you think about the movie Twister [and Twisters]?
Gerald: I like the classic one, the original.
Baillee: Do you feel like it's a bit sensationalized?
Gerald: A little bit misleading about them is that you don't just drive up to a storm and it's producing a tornado, right? There can be a dozen or more storms out there, and you've got to be able to pinpoint which one of those is more likely to produce a tornado.
Baillee: If you ever had the opportunity, would you want to have an excursion or adventure in that weather-chaser vehicle and, like, go into some sort of storm?
Gerald: I think you're referencing Reed Timmer's vehicle called the Dominator—some sort of large pickup truck that they put this custom armor around. I think that would be kind of an interesting experience to get inside a tornado. Maybe another bucket list item there.
Baillee: Here's our last question. What does Alabama need?
Gerald: I would like to see more weather stations here in Alabama. We've got large sections that don't have weather stations, so we’ve got some gaps there in the amount of data that's available.
Another thing I would like to see is some sort of app supported by the state where people can get weather information and those push alerts that are coming from us.
Baillee: That's it for today's Quick-Fire Quips, a speedy questionnaire where we get to know people who stand out in the state of Alabama. That was meteorologist Gerald Satterwhite with the National Weather Service in Birmingham. I'm your host, Baillee Majors. Find us at APR.org for more Quick-Fire Quips.
