Scientist Profile: Young Hurricane Expert

Reported September 2006

FT. COLLINS, Colo. (Ivanhoe Broadcast News) -- One of the country's leading hurricane experts is stepping down after three decades of forecasting. Meteorologist Bill Gray, Ph.D., at Colorado State University has passed the torch to a man whose young age and accomplishments may surprise you.

"Our forecast went out on my birthday, so I did 21 interviews on my birthday," says Phil Klotzbach. "It was quite a fun way to spend the day."

Twenty-one interviews on his 26th birthday. When this fresh-faced young man speaks, the country's hurricane experts listen.

Klotzbach is the new atmospheric scientist at CSU Atmospheric Science responsible for predicting how many hurricanes will develop this year. After 26 named storms last year, those are big shoes to fill. Klotzbach replaces 76-year-old Gray, who's been forecasting hurricanes longer than his new successor has been alive.

"I have a great deal of confidence in him -- as much or more confidence than I have in myself now," Gray tells Ivanhoe.

"I just think it's exciting," Klotzbach says. "I mean, I like forecasting and kinda sticking your neck out there, so I think that is pretty fun."

Other than being a self-confessed weather geek, Klotzbach is a typical 26-year-old. He has a passion for hiking, biking and baseball. "I can think about the Red Sox even more than I think about hurricanes," he says.

Insurance companies will use Klotzbach's seasonal forecasts to predict damage and set premiums. He says, "To be a good forecaster, the key is to be right, you know, much more frequently than you are wrong. I mean, this the first year I've been it, so obviously I hope my forecast does well. If the forecast doesn't go well, it's a little more in my hands." And he knows the pressure's on to be right -- all of the time.

Click here to Go Inside This Science or contact:

Phil Klotzbach
Department of Atmospheric Science
Colorado State University
Fort Collins, CO 80523
(970) 491-8605

The American Meteorological Society
Boston, MA 02108-3693
(617) 227-2425
http://www.ametsoc.org

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