At the intersection of weather and societal impacts
How can a very minor meteorological event that was well-forecast cause such chaos? For another example, Hurricane Katrina was extremely well-forecast, and still, almost 2,000 people died, many of whom because they didn't evacuate. Why? These are very good questions, and they are questions that we meteorologists can't answer on our own. We need to connect with social scientists — communicators, psychologists, sociologists, and so on — to help us understand how people get weather information, how they interpret it, and how that information influences (or doesn't influence!) their decision-making.
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If you lived in Raleigh in January of 2005, you no doubt remember the "Gridlock" day, where less than an inch of snow brought the Triangle to its knees. Half-hour commutes became 6-hour-long ordeals, and some kids wound up spending the night at their schools because their buses couldn't pick them up and take them home.
Weather forecasters — TV and National Weather Service alike — took a beating for that event, but upon further analysis, the timing and final quantity of the snowfall was actually reasonably well-forecast. Plus, even here in Raleigh, such a small snow event rarely causes more than a minor inconvenience. So, why then, does such a minor weather event (all of that snow would have melted down to a measly 0.04" of liquid) that was actually reasonably well-forecast cause such chaos? For another example, Hurricane Katrina was extremely well-forecast, and still, almost 2,000 people died, many of whom because they didn't evacuate. Why?
These are very good questions, and they are questions that we meteorologists can't answer on our own. We need to connect with social scientists — communicators, psychologists, sociologists, and so on — to help us understand how people get weather information, how they interpret it, and how that information influences (or doesn't influence!) their decision-making.
Today is the third full day of the workshop. Through the first two days, we've gotten to know the other participants; learned to communicate across disciplines (some words mean different things to different people!); discussed partnerships between universities, the National Weather Service, TV stations like WRAL, and others; and learned about how the various disciplines represented here see the world. Today's sessions are about doing social science research. We'll also introduce the group to concepts like vulnerability and resilience, and we'll talk about the role various cultures play in how people receive, interpret, and act on weather forecasts.
Do you have any questions for the group?
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