I’ve always been fascinated by the weather. As a child, I spent many an hour watching The Weather Channel (yes, they actually talked about the weather on-air back then) and anxiously awaiting every thunderstorm or winter weather event that impacted the greater Charlotte, NC area. My interest in hurricanes grew as well, especially after listening to my grandparents tell stories about the infamous Hugo.
I joined the military right out of high school in 2003, and I was thrilled when I learned my ASVAB scores allowed me to choose my desired job of Weather Apprentice, fulfilling a lifelong dream of working the field of meteorology. After my technical training, I spent time forecasting the weather for the southeastern United States, Southwest Asia, and Korea. I left the military in 2012 and took a job as a contractor providing meteorological services to the United States Antarctic Program.
I found that forecasting the weather in Antarctica was the most challenging and rewarding assignment in my career. I spent countless hours reading scientific journals and looking at data in order to hone my skills, and I loved every minute of it. I felt a certain sense of accomplishment every time an aircraft delivered fuel, cargo, and scientists to a remote field camp, knowing that it was supporting important research.
After seven years and four deployments to “The Ice,” life circumstances necessitated a more stable home environment for me and my children. I traded in my parka for a pair of Dockers and now work as an analyst at an IT company. I started the Antarctic Weather Blog as a way to stay connected to my passion and to share the wonders of Antarctica with the world.
Feel free to drop me a line at my Twitter page @AntarcticWx
“Antarctica has this mythic weight. It resides in the collective unconscious of so many people, and it makes this huge impact, just like outer space. It’s like going to the moon.”
Jon Krakauer
Antarctic Weather 