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

Okay on this wind report I was looking at it said “possible TDS”. I found no matches on the NWS glossary. Do you know what that means?

Asked by Cray over 6 years ago

Tornado debris signature. Radar can tell the difference between rain and hail and other “targets”. When a tornado starts lifting things in the air the radar can show that, often called a debris ball. It is helpful because farther away from the radar dish, as the earth curves away from the beam, what we see are radar targets above the surface as opposed the the actual tornado. The TDS gives more confidence that the rotation is actually on the ground. Thanks! https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tornado_debris_signature

I live in CO, but I have also spent a lot of time in California (Livermore), and Kansas City.
In the summer, night-time temps always seems to drop nicely (into the 60's) in CO and CA, but they stay unpleasantly high in the MidWest.
Please explain.

Asked by nofe2o3 about 6 years ago

Interesting question with a possible complicated answer. The easiest data point to look at is probably dewpoint, which is the amount of water vapor in the air. Obviously it is cooler at night because there is no incoming sunlight. Overnight the heat from the day radiates out to space and the air cools. The temperature will never fall below the dewpoint and when that number is reached the air is considered saturated. So the dewpoints are likely higher in Kansas as opposed to Colorado. Moisture travels northward from the Gulf easier across the plains as opposed to the higher elevations in the mountains. So check the dewpoint. Thanks!

As it rains over the ocean, does the rain cause the ocean to become more violent, or does the rain system just fade out?

Asked by Ron Tucker over 5 years ago

Rain on its own doesn’t cause choppy seas, Ron. The wind creates the chop and the speed of the wind is determined by the difference in pressure between the low pressure storm and surrounding high pressure. The atmosphere doesn’t like to be out of balance so the greater the difference in pressure the faster the air moves to find balance. Thanks.

Are you in a safe place when there is a tornado warring for your area and your broadcasting. I think it ßets a bad example when say a weather man is not in a safe shelter broadcasting. You can still talk and tel the weather like radio stations do.

Asked by Dinosaur almost 6 years ago

Yes, the center of our building is concrete reinforced. Different stations have different setups but most of us know where we will go it the station is under threat. A few colleagues have had close calls. At home we have an underground shelter. Hope you have a plan in place. Thanks!

Do you think Meteorologists sometimes over react when sever weather or something is coming?

Asked by asdklj over 6 years ago

Yup. Some do. ;)

Please explain why temps in inland and valley areas are lower than coastal areas in winter, but much hotter during summer.
Thank you!

Asked by Marv over 7 years ago

Great question, Marv! The exact location would have a lot to do with it but, in general, cold air is heavier than warm air. In the winter, especially at night, the cold air sinks into the valleys and pools up. At the beach, when the sun is out, the land warms faster than the water and the air above the land rises. Since the air needs to be replaced the cooler air moves in from over the water on the sea breeze. Hope that helps. Thanks!

I had a meteorologist say a term in a deposition and I am having trouble finding the term. He was talking about a dry pocket of air, or dry socket, or a dry "pron." I heard "pron," but I cannot find the term. Can you please help?

Asked by Ginger almost 6 years ago

Hi, Ginger. I’m unfamiliar with “pron”. We’re taught to think of air in parcels sometimes because it helps to visualize the atmosphere and how it will react to influences. Like a hot air balloon will rise as long as the inside air is warmer than the surrounding air. So a parcel of dry air can have specific effects, as can a parcel of moist air. If you’re still curious you could contact your local NWS office and weather.gov. The person you listened to was likely a forensic meteorologist, you could do a web search. Thanks!