Schuerch Closing Thoughts

 It's been quite the time,

These past couple of weeks have gone by faster than I realized. I've thoroughly enjoyed the experience whether it was learning what actual weather conditions are like in the field to having fun in our activities.

Weather

As Bill Bunting at the SPC once told us "[forecasts or models] are all wrong, but they can be useful." There were instances that the models, such as the HRRR and NAM, were not on the mark. This was especially prevalent on the last day of chasing with our storm dubbed "Scotty." Although the models took into account numerous amounts of information and calculations, we learned they are only good to a point. The models that morning did not predict many of the storms that were happening. Even the current models didn't show storms that were happening in the moment. Even though Scotty seemed weak, especially after he split, we followed him because the HRRR showed him cranking up to be quite the storm near dawn. Although he was not the big kahuna we thought he was going to be, he did eventually produce hail. 

There is always that "would-a-could-a-should-a talk", but we stuck to the conditions such as CAPE, SRH, and other parameters along with the models. We thought we had something good and there were so many scenarios that could have played out. 

Although some days like I mentioned did not turn out like we would have wanted, this goes to show that there is always more to improve on. Even in the field of meteorology in which so much has been contributed to it, there is always more to understand. We saw some amazing storms and even a tornado even if it was for a brief moment while we were far away. Taking the storms class along with this internship has given me a new understanding and respect for the forecasters out there who work tirelessly to get us the information we need.

Activities

Hiking the Rockies was one of my favorite moments on the trip. Although we were only given an hour to hike after the weather brief (because storms were forecasted to initiate earlier that day) we made the most of it! It was a great change of pace, quite literally, as we trekked through the Greyrock Meadow Trail. I really enjoyed going to all these new places and taking it all in -especially the food. Being in the Midwest to experience the culture has been remarkable and I hope to come back sometime to learn more. This internship has left its mark on me -literally. 

-Alex Schuerch