July 28, 2015: The Historic Rotary Club of Charleston met on Tuesday, July 28–a beautiful, sunny day—for camaraderie, lunch and an entertaining and informative presentation by our local meteorologist, Bill Walsh.
Bill, certainly one of the most well-known of local television personalities, was introduced by Rob Turkewitz and immediately captured his listeners.
No one could miss Bill’s skill and comfort with an audience, whether through a camera on Channel 5 or on a stage. His quick wit and easy humor made his presentation on Hurricane Preparedness as much fun to watch as his TV forecasts.
Speaking just as quickly as he does during a broadcast, Bill began by giving us a weekend forecast: 50% chance of showers and thunderstorms. While some might note that he had an equal chance of being right, those of us who were out on Saturday morning know that he was spot on—thunderstorms roared and rain fell heavily. Bill did remark that his was the only job he could think of that allows one to often be wrong but continues to produce a paycheck.
The US 2015 hurricane forecast has predicted 8 named storms, 3 of which will be hurricanes with one major storm event. El Nino has kept the number of hurricanes fairly low due to the stronger winds locating close to the equator thereby making a big storm harder to form. This phenomenon usually results in hotter summers and cooler winters and this summer reflects a trending of warmer weather to date.
While it’s still a long way from perfect, Bill pointed out that investment in and utilization of advanced technology has improved forecasting and saved lives by extending weather prediction of storms from 3 days to 5 days to 7. That has in part been accomplished by the study, understanding and adoption in the US of European weather modeling. Data interpreted through these sophisticated models help meteorologists better understand 1) where a storm is going and 2) how strong it’s likely to be.
Everyone in our area either experienced or has heard about the biggest and most devastating hurricane in Charleston’s recent history, 1989’s Hugo. From a local evacuation point of view, however, Hurricane Floyd in 1999 is equally significant. Floyd’s evacuation event, widely described as “botched,” became an example of how not to evacuate and led to new plans that can effectively, efficiently and safely allow the movement of tens of thousands of vehicle from coastal danger to inland protection. Frequent drills keep responders and managers on their toes ready to deploy the evacuation protocols immediately upon authorization by the governor. As we move further into hurricane season, we can take some comfort that technology and advance logistical planning make our safety and property protection more likely.
Many might not know that Bill is a talented author whose style and story telling abilities have been compared to Tom Clancy, Stephen Hunter and W.E.B. Griffin. His debut book was a political/terrorism thriller entitled The Umbrella Option which, despite the title, has nothing to do with the weather. The book was released in 2013 to very positive reviews. His second book, Red Carpet Ransom, released last December, centers around drug wars, the mafia and the Oscars. As a two-time Emmy winner for daytime TV, Bill is very familiar with award ceremonies and can bring authenticity to his plot and settings. Both books are available on Amazon, Barnes and Noble and other usual outlets.
Rotarians appreciated Bill’s energy, humor and information and wish him the best of weather prediction odds!
— Cheryl Kaynard, Keyway Committee