Local meteorologists speak at national weather meeting | news

This is something no one wants to experience again, but the experience has value as people can learn from it and share it with others to learn from.

Trent Okerson and Noah Bergren, meteorologists at WPSD Local 6, were invited to speak at the 2022 National Weather Association Annual Meeting in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on August 21 to share their experiences of reporting such a devastating storm with their peers exchange across the country.

The local meteorologists spoke at the broadcast meteorology workshop. Okerson is in his 15th year at WPSD, while Bergren is entering his fifth year with the station and 16th year as a professional forecaster.

Okerson, the station’s chief meteorologist, said it was humbling to be invited to speak at a national meeting.

“It’s a great honor,” he said. “In the spring (the National Weather Association) calls for abstract submissions, and if you feel you have something worth presenting, you submit an abstract of what you want to present and they have a committee that chooses who may come and speak.”

Okerson said something that also helps storms have more survivors is to have a plan, a backup plan, and weather radio.

“One thing I talked about was that you need to have a family contingency plan,” he said. “Know where you’re going and what you’re going to do if there’s a tornado. People did those things and because they knew what to do, they lived through it.”

Bergren said it pays to follow directions given during tornado warnings.

“(I was very proud) that people listened,” he said. “I am proud that everyone on the station worked together. With ordinary tornado warnings, a decent number of people often do nothing. ‘That will not happen.’ ‘It never hits me.’ “I don’t have to do anything. I am invincible. I’ll go outside and have a look.’ Nobody did that this time. Everyone listened and did what we told them to do in those three hours.”

Meteorologists often get to know the people who tune in, and Okerson said his tornado experience was no different.

“On December 9, I had a preplanned school visit with sixth graders from Central Elementary in Mayfield,” he said. “I did my usual school presentation for her. Knowing we had a pretty good setup for storms the next day, I spent a few extra minutes chatting with them about storm safety and what to do.

“While I’m on the air (the next night) watching this cataclysmic tornado headed straight for Mayfield, all I could think about that night was, ‘What’s going to happen to these kids? Two weeks before Christmas this monster tornado is heading towards them. Did you listen to me the day before? Will they be okay?’ That was the moment during my reporting that evening when I had a hard time keeping my composure and sort of pulling myself together because – obviously I was thinking of everyone along the way – but I was thinking of these kids in particular.”

Bergren was also very moved by the power of the tornado and the sight of the destruction that followed.

“It’s still very difficult to talk about,” he said. “I was in Mayfield the day after – I didn’t sleep that night. I met a woman who lost her house – just flat on the ground. She showed where she was with a helmet. If she hadn’t been wearing a bike helmet, she would have cried on my shoulder and said she would probably have been in a coma or dead.

“The roof collapsed on her in her bathroom. Unless she was in a bathtub with her helmet on like we told her — I spent five minutes in the middle of this coverage going to people, ‘Get a helmet, get a motorcycle or bike helmet. I’m not joking. If you have a helmet in the garage, get it and put it on. It was very sobering to hear people say it saved their lives.”

Okerson returned to school the next week while he was on the Today show with Al Roker.

“When I walked into the same room, the school cafeteria, you wouldn’t believe how much they already had in supplies and donations,” he said. “It was from one end of the room to the next. So I have to brag about our area’s response to the tornado. we came together The people in this part of the country are there for each other. We love each other. It’s a tight-knit community and I was able to show this picture that day and explain the story. That touched a lot of people.”

Okerson said he and Bergren have received valuable feedback from other meteorologists who have also studied tornadoes.

“It was good for someone to essentially validate our work,” Okerson said. “It was good to get feedback from people who were in that situation.

“Also, from a broadcaster’s point of view, it was good to talk to people who have also been through it. Going through a night like this is hard for us too – emotionally and mentally. Noah, Kaylee (Bowers) and I struggle with, “Could I have done better? Could I have done more?’ ”

Okerson said the warnings he and the WPSD weather team were able to issue ahead of the storms — including the information provided in the days leading up to the tornadoes — were a team effort that transcended the studio.

“That evening Noah and I (at the annual meeting) and Christine (Wielgos) and Steve (Eddy) from the National Weather Service (in Paducah) were talking about (August 23) that (this storm event) really showed how good the weather company is as a whole,” Okerson said.

“It wasn’t just the efforts of Noah and I. It was the National Weather Service, the broadcast media, the emergency managers, storm scouts – all working together to provide the best possible information in a timely manner and in a way that was factual without exaggeration. This worked well to grab people’s attention and provide plenty of advance warning and lead time.”

Okerson said inviting him and Bergren to speak to an organization of meteorologists from across the country means a lot to them and WPSDLocal6.

“I definitely think it puts us on the map,” he said. “We’re not one to blow our own horn or draw attention to ourselves, but it was a good experience to be able to show other people what we can do. I would compare our technology and our weather department to anyone else in the country.

“We have the tools to do the work that people ask of us and expect of us. It was a real honor to be invited and for the other people coming from bigger markets to come over and say, ‘Wow, you did a really good job. The graphics look great and the presentation was great.’ That reflects well on our department.”