Peter the Meteor(ologist) - 3. Blowin’ In the Wind

3:30 in the mornin', not a soul in sight
The city's lookin' like a ghost town on a moonless summer night
Raindrops on the windshield, there's a storm movin' in
He's headin' back from somewhere that he never should have been

And the thunder rolls
Thunder rolls
And the lightnin' strikes

Garth Brooks - 1990

7

We decided to set up just outside Tony's room because it was closest to the middle of the overhang and there'd hopefully be less crosswind. We were just inside the door until we got the ten-to-go countdown. I walked out into the storm, standing next to the van, wrapping one arm around the mirror, microphone in the other hand, half facing the buildings and power lines across the street. Grabbing the mirror was a perfect bit of foresight.

"Good morning, Corpus area citizens. Peter Noonan with KDF-TV weather, standing outside the Budget Inn here in Port Lavaca. We're currently getting winds of seventy miles per hour, with gusts just under one hundred. So far, there have been no fatalities reported, so we're getting through this as well as we can. As you can see behind me, the trees are bending, a couple power lines have been ripped off the poles, and..."

There was a loud crash of thunder, simultaneous with a lightning strike obliterating the transformer on the pole maybe two hundred feet behind me. The wind kicked up, I later found out, to one hundred and fifteen miles per hour. The leaning tree was ripped out of the ground. The roof of the building behind it went sailing away, and if I didn't already have a death grip on the van's mirror, I would have followed that roof to God knows where. As it was, I was pulled nearly horizontal. The van slid a couple feet. Paul and Tony could do nothing but watch from just inside the motel room's doorway. Fortunately, the gust relented before I lost my grip on the van; and before the van lost its grip on the pavement. A few seconds more, and the video would have turned quite tragic.

Groaning in pain, I continue, "Whoa. As you can see, it's pretty nasty here right now. So, this is Peter Noonan, thankfully still with KDF-TV weather, have a good day, and I'm going to follow my own advice here, and get somewhere to stay safe."

Once again, Steve was in my earpiece, "Holy Christ, Pete. Are you okay?"

I waited a moment to answer, crashing through Paul and Tony into the room, "I'm still in one piece, but I think I may have dislocated my shoulder. Fuck! I thought I was going to get blown away."

"I was worried about that too. Damn Pete, you were fucking horizontal."

"Yeah, thanks. I'm aware of that."

"Okay, settle yourself down. As soon as you can, get that shoulder looked at."

"Doing that right now. Tony was a medic in the Marines before coming to the station. He's going to... OWWW! FUCK! You could have warned me."

"What happened?"

"He popped my shoulder back in place. Fuck, that hurt."

"Wow. Well, um, take a break, I think there's some extra strength acetaminophen in the van. Although I'm guessing you'd want something stronger."

"Thanks Steve. Could you ask Jerry to not have me do that again anytime soon? Outside in the middle of a hurricane. I must have been fucking nuts to agree to that."

"I'm glad you still have your sense of humor. I'll talk to you later."

Who was joking? "Yeah. See ya."

I turn to Tony, "Couldn't you have warned me?"

"It's better if you don't know it's coming. Believe me."

"Well, thanks. I think. I'm just gonna lie down on your bed for a couple minutes. Hopefully the pain will subside some."

"It should. Help yourself. I only drank one beer last night. I know it's early..."

"Yes! I'll take it."

8

Apparently, the station took pity on me. We didn't have to do any more reports. We were, however, stuck there one more night. Aside from the pier earlier, debris scattered in many backyards, the barn roof, a few trees, and almost me blown away, there wasn't any more significant damage before the storm passed through. The storm didn't break enough until after lunch before we felt it was safe to leave, so it was mid-afternoon when we got back to the station.

As soon as we were noticed, we were hit with a round of applause. I was also hit with a number of back and shoulder slaps. Fortunately, the pain had subsided to a dull roar and my reaction was limited to a grimace. Jerry called us all into his office.

"Hell of a job up there guys. Pete, you're the talk of the entire coastal weather community. Your live report yesterday morning has been seen by a few million people. Most importantly, there were no deaths attributed directly to the hurricane. Paul, Tony, you guys have gotten kudos from all over as well. It must have been tough almost watching him get blown away. Over forty stations in Texas have run the clip. I even got a call from the NBC affiliate in Dallas, asking for a copy. Your near flight is famous."

They agreed that it was difficult.

"Um, yeah. Thanks. I caught it once from the motel room. I have no desire to see it again."

Jerry pursed his lips, "Yeah, about that. You're probably going to have to sit through it at least once more. ABC World News Tonight wants you on their America Strong segment, to talk about your prediction and, unfortunately, your harrowing experience on live TV."

"When?"

"They've been pressing. I told them I wasn't sure exactly when you'd be back. So, they asked about Tuesday, I said I'd ask you, but I really wish you would do it. It would mean a lot to the station. This is national Pete. Who knows where it will take you. I've already gotten three requests to steal you away from us."

"Steal me?"

He actually seemed excited, "Yeah, three NBC affiliates want you. San Antonio, Austin, and Houston. I've given them the 'you're under contract until next June' story, but being NBC, they'd be able to assume the contract. I really don't want to let you go. But..."

"Opportunities like this don't come up every day, I'd be stupid to pass one up, et cetera, et cetera. I get it."

"After the live report yesterday morning, the fact that you predicted the hurricane would go where nobody else even considered has made the rounds as well. You're in demand right now."

"Well, I'll do the World News segment, but I can't decide about moving right now. I’ll have to think about that."

Jerry nodded, "That's all I can ask. I'm sure you'll be hearing from the chiefs from at least those three stations, perhaps others after the World News segment."

I made sure to call my parents, brother, and sister to let them know I'd be on national TV. They were, obviously, all very excited for me.

9

So, the next morning, I was on a flight to New York City. ABC wanted me in their studio, rather than on a remote hookup. I had to meet with the anchor before hand so he could go through the interview in advance. That had to be done Monday, so timing and whatnot could be determined well in advance. Tuesday evening came and I was on the air again. A map of the Corpus area was the backdrop behind us, with an icon for the storm in Matagorda Bay.

"Tonight, on America Strong, we'll be talking with Peter Noonan, a meteorologist from Corpus Christi, Texas who accurately predicted a wild swing in hurricane Lorraine Thursday evening. He then went on location to Port Lavaca, Texas, about eighty miles northeast of Corpus Christi. Corpus Christi itself was where everyone else thought the hurricane would hit land. Take a look at what happened during his live report on Saturday."

The entire clip is shown, and the camera returns to the anchor, a wider shot now including me.

"So, Peter, first of all, what was it like to be lifted by the storm like that?"

"I'll tell you, Ken. It was frightening. I was beginning to lose my grip on the van, but fortunately, the wind gust abated and I was saved. Just a dislocated shoulder worse for wear. A few more seconds and I wouldn't be here."

"And I understand you were the only weatherman to predict the change of path."

"As far as I've been told, yes."

"With computer models, satellite technology, all sorts of tools to tell us where the hurricane is likely to land, how do you account for such a vast difference? Eighty miles is practically unheard of."

"A lot of variables drive that data, but there's one fact that is always unaccounted for. Mother Nature doesn't use computers. Conditions change all the time. One has to take all that into account."

"And I also understand that you disagreed with the models for three other storms this year. Did you perform the same kind of analysis for those as well?"

"Yes, but the variation there wasn't as drastic. The landfall was only between ten and twenty miles from the consensus in those cases."

"Well, it is impressive regardless. I'm not sure if you've heard, but you've been called the "Hurricane Whisperer," and everyone is going to want your input going forward."

"I've heard some of the requests for my input, the nickname is new."

"Well, I think it will stick. Thanks for being here with us tonight, Peter. For ABC News, this has been Ken Moore. Goodnight."

10

Ken was right about everyone wanting my input. My cell phone voice mailbox was full, as was my voice mail at the station. I had dozens of congratulatory messages by the time I got back to Corpus. In addition to the three opportunities Jerry mentioned, I had six more requests for interviews. One was extremely attractive.

It took a while to set up the interview, but the call from the National Hurricane Center in Miami certainly piqued my interest. Not that I had a problem dealing with other types of weather, but dealing exclusively with hurricanes and other tropical storms matched my "skill set" perfectly. So, that's why, two weeks after my appearance on World News Tonight, I was on my way to Miami to meet with a whole host of people. My schedule included the Director, Deputy Director, the Hurricane Specialist Unit Branch Chief, and three Senior Hurricane Specialists from that same Hurricane Specialist Unit. I looked them up. All three had Ph.D. degrees. I was sure I'd be out of my element.

I arrived the afternoon before, so I wouldn't have to travel in a suit. Steve and Jerry gave me their blessings. Jerry said he would release me from my contract if I was offered a position by the NHC. They both recognized the importance of the opportunity and my potential discouragement with the station if they held me back. I was happy that I not only got this opportunity, but that I wouldn't burn any bridges by taking advantage of it. Of course, there was no guarantee I would be offered a position.