Expert Details
Forensic Meteorology and Severe Weather Event Reconstruction
ID: 726271
New York, USA
Dick began using his accrued skills and expertise in the field of meteorology to create forensic meteorological reconstructions under the tuteledge of a veteran forensic meteorologist in late 2006. His broad knowledge of meteorology, meteorological data and meteorological instrumentation acquired over a 38 year government weather career, combined with his extensive public writing and speaking opportunities in leadership positions over the latter half of that government career, gave him the ability to quickly grasp the basics of this new application of his skills. Since 2006, Dick has worked on over 200 forensic cases, a number of which have come to trial and required court testimony. Dick's written reports are clear and concise, rarely exceeding two pages, while clearly describing the pertinent facts. His ability to describe complex meteorological concepts in plain English has served his clients well in the courtroom.
Working for a defendant's attorney in a federal court case, I was able to identify a strong downburst with winds in excess of 60 mph immediately adjacent to the damage location, significantly mitigating the defendant's liability.Working for a client with wind sensitive outdoor operations, I was able to provide windows of favorably low wind in advance so the client could save money by only deploying teams when winds would be favorable.Working for an insurance company, I was able to provide wind direction and speed, as well as approximate wave heights at the time and location of a past boating accident, helping them to determine their liability.Working with a plaintiff's attorney, I was able to show that ice on which their client slipped and fell predated the snow flurries falling at the time of the accident, underscoring the defendant's liability.Working with a defendant's attorney, I was able to show that after a long period of very cold temperatures deep frost in the ground meant that rain falling at the time of the accident would freeze on contact with the sidewalk surface, even though air temperatures were in the mid to upper 30s, thus limiting the defendant's liability.
Education
Year | Degree | Subject | Institution |
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Year: 1988 | Degree: B.A. | Subject: meteorology & computer science | Institution: Marshall University |
Work History
Years | Employer | Title | Department |
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Years: 2004 to Present | Employer: Undisclosed | Title: President | Department: |
Responsibilities:Certified Consulting Meteorologist, providing forensic research, court testimony and custom forecasting. |
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Years | Employer | Title | Department |
Years: 1994 to 2004 | Employer: NOAA, National Weather Service | Title: Warning Coordination Meteorologist | Department: Albany, NY Forecast Office |
Responsibilities:Managed service and warning programs within the office, served as the external spokesperson for the office and liaison with local government within the portions of four states served by the office as well as serving as the primary Weather Service contact person for New York state government agencies. |
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Years | Employer | Title | Department |
Years: 1988 to 1994 | Employer: NOAA, National Weather Service | Title: Meteorologist In Charge | Department: Duluth, MN Local Service Office |
Responsibilities:Overall manager and supervisor for a local service office providing weather services to Northern Minnesota and Northern Wisconsin as well as a section of Lake Superior the size of the state of Maine. |
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Years | Employer | Title | Department |
Years: 1973 to 1988 | Employer: NOAA, National Weather Service | Title: Meteorological Technician/Supervisory Meteorological Technician | Department: offices in West Virginia, Illinois and Florida |
Responsibilities:Served as a surface weather observer, upper air weather observer and radar operator in a series of positions of increasing complexity, culminating in five years as Official In Charge of the local warning and data acquisition office in Huntington, WV. Using G.I. Bill financing, worked on college courses throughout this period, culminating in a B.A. degree at Marshall University in 1988. |
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Years | Employer | Title | Department |
Years: 1966 to 1973 | Employer: U.S. Air Force | Title: Weather Technician/Chief Observer | Department: weather stations in Korea, Germany and Florida |
Responsibilities:Trained as an observer, map plotter and radar operator, then climbed the Weather Technician career ladder in rapid order, culminating in a final military assignment as Chief Observer for the weather detachment at McCoy Field in Orlando Florida |
Government Experience
Years | Agency | Role | Description |
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Years: 1973 to 2004 | Agency: NOAA National Weather Service | Role: | Description: See work experience |
Years: 1966 to 1973 | Agency: U.S. Air Force | Role: | Description: See work experience |
International Experience
Years | Country / Region | Summary |
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Years: 1968 to 1973 | Country / Region: Germany | Summary: Worked as a weather observer technician at two airports in Germany. |
Years: 2013 to 2014 | Country / Region: Germany | Summary: Provided German to English translations of weather forecast and warning terms used by the German Weather Service to a private firm as they began delivering warning services to European customers. |
Career Accomplishments
Associations / Societies |
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Member, National Council of Industrial Meteorologists Member, American Meteorological Society Member, National Weather Association, Member ECOS: The Environmetal Clearinghouse of Schenectady, NY Tutor, Hudson Mohawk chapter, Literacy Volunteers of America |
Licenses / Certifications |
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American Meteorological Society Certified Consulting Meteorologist (Certificate # 632) |
Professional Appointments |
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Past President, National Council of Industrial Meteorologists; Past member and Chair, AMS Board of Certified Consulting Meteorologists; Member and past Chair, Schenectady County Environmental Advisory Council; Past Board of Directors and vice president, ECOS: The Environmetal Clearinghouse of Schenectady, NY |
Additional Experience
Expert Witness Experience |
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After retiring from government service in 2004, I established my own consulting firm and went through the American Meteorological Society certification process to earn Certified Consulting Meteorologist (Expert) recognition in March, 2006. Then, under the tutelage of a nationally recognized forensic meteorologist and fellow Expert, I was able to learn to apply my extensive meteorological knowledge and experience to the forensic arena. I average about 30 cases per year since then, serving plaintiffs and defendants in a variety of local state and federal court cases, from severe storm assessment to wrongful death to slip and fall cases. I have also served insurance companies looking for storm verification and marine weather reconstructions. |
Training / Seminars |
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I developed and delivered seminars at several annual Science Teachers Association of New York State conferences and at one Association of Mathematics Teachers of New York State conference. From 1997 through 2012, I was a mentor for the American Meteorological Society DataStreme courses for primary and secondary science teachers. I have been a pilot participant in two of those courses helping to work over draft versions and fine tune them before presenting them to teachers. |
Marketing Experience |
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My extensive government experience in gathering and interpreting weather data have given me exceptional knowledge of what is available and insight into the nuances of the data. My training and experience on every weather radar ever used operationally by the U.S. government and my long experience issuing weather warnings and managing warning and forecast programs allow me to offer insight into all of the details of weather radar information and interpretation. |
Language Skills
Language | Proficiency |
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German | After taking German in High School and college, spent five years of military time in Germany. Married a German and raised two bilingual daughters with dual citizenship. |
Fields of Expertise
Doppler weather radar application, weather radar, forensic meteorology, meteorological data, meteorological instrumentation, meteorology, tornado, automated weather information system, dew-point temperature, relative humidity, atmospheric pressure, atmospheric downburst, atmospheric storm, weather forecasting, atmospheric precipitation, forecasting, weather pattern, radiosonde, meteorological balloon, weather, hydrology, humidity