TV Meteorologist

TV Meteorologist

Kevin Selle

Wichita Falls, TX

Male, 55

I've been a broadcast meteorologist on television since the early 1990's. Happy to answer any questions about the weather or local TV news. Yes, I often wear sneakers on set just out of view of the camera.

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326 Questions

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Last Answer on December 24, 2019

Best Rated

How many weather models does a forecaster have to work with and where is the data for the weather models coming from?

Asked by Richard Ferstandig over 7 years ago

Complicated answer, Richard, but a good question. There are quite a few and I really can't give a number off the top of my head. Easily more than a dozen It is complicated because different models offer different solutions. Some are short range, some are longer range. Some are US based, others European and Canada and Japan. To further complicate the issue some models are run as "ensembles" meaning they are run from the basic initial data but small variations are introduced to give different solutions. The basic input data is collected twice a day from about 900 upper air sites, or weather balloons, launched twice a day, noon and midnight Greenwich mean time. The idea is to take a snapshot of the entire planet atmosphere at the same time. Also, more and more data, from satellites and radar for example, is now ingested into the models to varying degrees. A shorter answer is, on a regular day I'll look at three or four.

On the East Coast, specifically the Allegheny mountains, are the prevailing winds necessarily from the west? Which is to ask: Is the leeward size of those mountains generally on the east, or rather on the west, as the Atlantic ocean is so close?

Asked by Mrs. Mills over 6 years ago

Hello, Mrs. Mills. Broadly speaking the leeward side of the Allegheny Mountains would be the eastern side, closer to the coast. At any given moment the windward side of anything is that facing the wind. In general terms the broad atmospheric flow is west to east across the United States. Here is a good definition on Wikipedia. Thanks. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windward_and_leeward

Do you ever get hate for wrong forecasts? (i.e emails, calls, texts, social media messages, letters, etc)

Asked by Afjafjeklafefj0923487323423423423423423423423432423 over 6 years ago

There is a lot of that out there these days, especially on social media. I’m pretty lucky, doesn’t happen too often. Busted snow forecasts seem to be the worst. I’m in Texas so not as big a problem. Thanks!

Hello. My boss has asked me to find out the amount of snowfall in a 5 day span in January 2016. Any idea on how can I get this info?

Asked by Erin over 7 years ago

Hi, Erin. I’d go to weather.gov (not .com). Click on your area of the map and it will take you to the local National Weather Service office and you’ll see phone and email on the bottom. Good luck.

I wanted to know what the winter outlook of 2018-2019 will be like for the United States?

Asked by Jeremiah Ostrow almost 7 years ago

Hi, Jeremiah. Here is a great site. http://www.cpc.ncep.noaa.gov/

Winds seem to flow along an isobar, but pressure changes between them. Why don't the winds flow in the direction of changing pressure rather than along lines of constant pressure?

Asked by Hal almost 7 years ago

Hi, Hal. Uneven heating of the atmosphere helps create air pressure differences. Mother Nature tries to equalize the imbalance and air moves from high to low. Since the earth rotates the air is subject to Coriolis force and the air is deflected from moving perpendicular to the isobars. Thanks! https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coriolis_force

Once a Tornado warring expires due to weakening or the threat has moved is that extra five or ten minutes them looking at the storm trying to see if it was accurate scans and re development and/or something behind it?
Should I remain in shelter?

Asked by Daniel over 6 years ago

Great question. National Weather Service folks take the tornado expirations very seriously and would most likely issue an extension for any risk. That said, rotation could certainly increase again. An extra five of ten minutes would be a reasonable course of action. I highly recommend a radar app called RadarScope for your phone. It allows you to locate yourself on the map and animate radar so you can see if a storm is moving toward or away from your location. Thank, Daniel.