911 recording from Kenosha County Tornado on 1/7/08

[Jason Bolt]

I will strongly disagree with John Diel and say that the fire chief and the EM on the audio performed like MORONS. As a fire chief, emergency manager, police chief, or whatever part of your JOB is to always keep yourself up to date about weather related issues that could impact your response area BEFORE it happens. I don't know whether or not they had lead time on that warning, but it doesn't matter. Storms had been firing all day across MO, IL and other states. The watch box had been placed quite a while before the storms. Nobody to blame but theirselves.

 

[Danny Neal]

This is what I got from the WGN web site:

In 1970, Skilling moved to Madison, Wis., to study meteorology and journalism at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, while continuing to work in radio.

Studying it is not the same as graduating and getting a degree. Please show me something that says he actually received a degree in meteorology. Not that I have looked real hard, but I have never came across anything that has actually said that. If I am wrong I stand corrected and I will say I am sorry to him when he is on TV.

What is your beef with Skilling? So what he doesn't have a degree? He knows more about the weather and predicting it then 90% of the Mets in his field. He runs his own severe weather seminar for God Sakes. He actually predicts the weather and does a damn good job. I have heard of Skilling.....haven't heard of you though.

 

[Steve Mirsky]

What is your beef with Skilling? So what he doesn't have a degree? He knows more about the weather and predicting it then 90% of the Mets in his field. He runs his own severe weather seminar for God Sakes. He actually predicts the weather and does a damn good job. I have heard of Skilling.....haven't heard of you though.

There is no reason to freak out. I have no beef with him, but merely stated I do not believe he has a degree. From what I understand, he is a nice guy, very enthusiastic and has good graphics. I don't watch him but from what people tell me it does not sound as if he predicts the weather. He basically says the model is predicting this. Have you ever heard him say, the model says this, but I think that is going to happen. You haven't heard of me because I just predict the weather for clients such as energy companies, sports teams, pilots, governmental agencies, etc. I am not into the high profile glory of TV, where in most cases personality counts more then accuracy.

 

[Scott Weberpal]

There is no reason to freak out. I have no beef with him, but merely stated I do not believe he has a degree. From what I understand, he is a nice guy, very enthusiastic and has good graphics. I don't watch him but from what people tell me it does not sound as if he predicts the weather. He basically says the model is predicting this. Have you ever heard him say, the model says this, but I think that is going to happen. You haven't heard of me because I just predict the weather for clients such as energy companies, sports teams, pilots, governmental agencies, etc. I am not into the high profile glory of TV, where in most cases personality counts more then accuracy.

So we now rely on hearsay to validate truth about any particular persons forecasting ability? I can name more than a dozen chasers with no met degree who can forecast severe wx better than many with met degrees.

On local TV here, I hear Bob Lindmeier (meteorologist and owner of Weather Central) say "the model says this" all the time with no contradiction...of course he does occasionally contradict.

According to Tom Skillings myspace page (http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=40199734) he graduated from the University of Wisconsin in 1975 with a bachelors degree in meteorology.

If you've ever watched one of Tom's weathercasts, he's very specific and gives a very in-depth (sometimes over the head of common folk) explanations as to what is going on with the weather.

IMO, one of the best, if not the best on-air met in the country.

 

[Kevin Bowman]

because you need to graduate college to be great at what you do? maybe thats why Bill Gates has 50 Billion dollars

He basically says the model is predicting this. Have you ever heard him say, the model says this, but I think that is going to happen. .

um dont we all look at the models because of what they predict?

 

[Danny Neal]

So we now rely on hearsay to validate truth about any particular persons forecasting ability? I can name more than a dozen chasers with no met degree who can forecast severe wx better than many with met degrees.

On local TV here, I hear Bob Lindmeier (meteorologist and owner of Weather Central) say "the model says this" all the time with no contradiction...of course he does occasionally contradict.

According to Tom Skillings myspace page (http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=40199734) he graduated from the University of Wisconsin in 1975 with a bachelors degree in meteorology.

If you've ever watched one of Tom's weathercasts, he's very specific and gives a very in-depth (sometimes over the head of common folk) explanations as to what is going on with the weather.

IMO, one of the best, if not the best on-air met in the country.

Scott summed up what I was trying to say better in his post right here. You can tell the Mets who stand up there and read off a teleprompter, and you can tell the ones who know whats going on and love what they do.

 

[Steve Mirsky]

According to Tom Skillings myspace page (http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=40199734) he graduated from the University of Wisconsin in 1975 with a bachelors degree in meteorology.

Yes there are lots of chasers who know more then mets, but it has nothing to do with the issue here. Did I say he does not love what he does. On the contrary I said he was enthusiastic. And yes, if it says it on my space it must be true. Case closed.

 

[Dan Cook]

Yes there are lots of chasers who know more then mets, but it has nothing to do with the issue here. Did I say he does not love what he does. On the contrary I said he was enthusiastic. And yes, if it says it on my space it must be true. Case closed.

Where's your proof that he doesn't have a degree? Other than hearsay..

 

[Steve Mirsky]

Where's your proof that he doesn't have a degree? Other than hearsay..

Dan, all I said was I have never seen anything that said he had a degree. The WGN site said he studied meteorology which I do not believe is the same as having completed a degree. I now stand corrected as he says so himself in my space.

 

[Dan Cook]

That's fine then. The Tom Skilling debate is getting off topic anyway as this thread isn't about him.

 

[Chad Cowan]

I don't watch him but ...

This negates the majority of what you said.

... from what people tell me it does not sound as if he predicts the weather. He basically says the model is predicting this. Have you ever heard him say, the model says this, but I think that is going to happen. ,

 

[Jarrod Cook]

Yes there are lots of chasers who know more then mets, but it has nothing to do with the issue here.

The issue in this thread is about the Kenosha County 911 clip, not Tom Skilling! Sheesh. Anyone have any more opinions on that event? I see someone posted something from Skip Voros, but I still haven't see his normal MASA e-mail that gets sent out every other month or so.

 

[Jason Boggs]

GUY'S, LET'S KEEP THIS THREAD ON TOPIC PLEASE.

 

[Steve Mirsky]

I see someone posted something from Skip Voros, but I still haven't see his normal MASA e-mail that gets sent out every other month or so.

Yes, that was me. . Haven't received anything else yet. If I do, I will post unless someone does it first.

 

[rdale]

The watch box had been placed quite a while before the storms. Nobody to blame but theirselves.

1) That wasn't "the" EM, that was someone that worked there and obviously knew the dispatcher well

2) I despise when people make blanket attacks on anyone without knowing the whole story

3) There was no watch box prior to the storm. I think this is the part where you say "oops"