I provide timely, accurate, and customized weather data and expert interpretation as a forensic meteorology expert witness for litigation, research projects, or forecasting applications. I have over 25 years of professional meteorology experience, supporting hurricane and severe weather insurance, criminal, slip and fall, wind and hail damage, and flooding cases. My services include:
- Expert witness research and testimony
- Forensic meteorology (what, when, how much, what does it mean)
- Applied weather and climate research for attorneys and insurance adjusters
- Expert weather forecasting and analysis
Weather Expert Cases
Some examples of recent projects/cases I have served on include:
- Determining the design wind velocity using historical nearby weather stations for a major dam
- Testifying for a state attorney in a criminal trial where nighttime low temperatures were critical evidence
- Assessing the wind speed experienced at a condo rooftop during landfall of Hurricane Sally
- Constructing a timeline of rain rate, sustained wind speed, and wind gusts over two days of a gulf coast hurricane landfall
- Validating wind speeds experienced at a specific address during a severe thunderstorm
Customized Weather Expert Service Roles
I can serve as either a consulting expert or a retained/testifying expert. Consulting experts do not present testimony and are not disclosed to opposing parties. In these cases, I work behind the scenes with clients to produce data and results, provide advice on how such data may affect their case, and critique opposing views – all under protected attorney-client privilege. Retained experts operate under a formal contractual agreement, are subject to deposition and testimony, and are disclosed to opposing counsel. Typically, retained/testifying experts will produce a formal report documenting their methods, results, and opinions.
Areas of Weather Expertise
I have published dozens of research and conference papers on tropical cyclones, satellite data and interpretation, and weather forecasting. My consulting experience includes work in severe thunderstorms, hurricanes, winter weather, radar interpretation, flooding, and visibility. Follow the links below to learn more about some of these specialties.
FAQ
A weather expert witness analyzes historical weather data relevant to a case and provides expert reports and testimony explaining the conditions and their relevance to the claim.
Forensic meteorology is analogous to a weather detective. It’s the science of answering what the weather was doing, when, and how much, using verified data sources and research tools and analysis techniques. Typically, forensic meteorologists reconstruct conditions for legal or research purposes.
Yes. Past work includes testifying for a state attorney in a criminal trial where nighttime low temperatures were critical evidence.
Yes. Services also cover applied weather, climate research/impacts, and expert forecasting, presentations for community groups, and data analysis for non-litigation projects, such as determining design wind velocity for infrastructure.