Webinar #92 - November 2024

Meteorology and the Law: The Use of Weather Experts in Litigation 

Alicia Wasula
President
STM Weather
Cropseyville, NY

(Biography)

While most people think of meteorologists as scientists who spend their time looking forward into the future to make a forecast, forensic meteorologists spend their time looking backward at weather events that have already occurred.  Many types of litigation involve the weather in some way: personal injury, property damage claims, wrongful death, and even criminal cases.  Forensic meteorologists are retained by attorneys as 'expert witnesses' to explain to them and to the court what the weather conditions were like relating to a particular incident.  Sometimes, expert meteorologists must give opinions as to how the weather conditions played a role in the particular event involved in the lawsuit.  Observational data from many sources, including CoCoRaHS observers, is synthesized into a chronology of weather events.  Although many cases settle outside of court, forensic meteorologists are at times required to appear in court to discuss their research and explain their opinion to a judge or a jury.  Many forensic meteorologists hold the AMS Certified Consulting Meteorologist certification, which attests to their knowledge, ethics and experience.  In addition to conducting scientific analysis, forensic meteorologists must be excellent communicators who are able to explain their findings clearly to non-scientists. 

 
In this webinar, we will discuss the long history of the field of forensic meteorology, learn how observational data is used to understand the meteorological conditions, and look at several interesting examples which demonstrate how forensic meteorologists help attorneys understand the weather as it relates to a specific case.

View the Webinar by clicking here: LAW
View Peter's presentation slides here  


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