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Forensic Meteorology
Wed Dec 07, 2005
Listen in RealAudio 
Hi, I'm Bryan Yeaton and this is The Weather Notebook. Oftentimes in a courtroom,
lawyers call for special witnesses to help their cases, like psychologists, scientists,
DNA experts, and even meteorologists.
KW: "Well, I look at it as being a weather sleuth."
That's forensic meteorologist Kevin Williams of Weather-Track, Incorporated in
Rochester, NY. Besides his duties as a TV and radio meteorologist, Kevin Williams is
often hired as a weather expert in the courtroom. Now most cases ask for proof that the
weather was what the litigants say it was on the day of an accident, an icy slip and fall
accident, or a motorist claiming to be blinded by sunlight when they hit the other car.
But sometimes, the cases aren't as obvious.
KW: "There was a young boy struck by a pitched ball in a park and the question was,
was there sufficient ambient lighting to allow that ball game to be played or should the
park have been closed."
And Mr. Williams' cases can deal with very serious matters.
KW: "We've dealt with cases where there was a question again of ambient lighting that
led to a death and we had to determine whether or not the glare from sunlight on a wet
road surface would have been sufficient to limit the visibility at a certain height going up
a hill to see a truck that had been parked slightly off the road but not completely off the
road. So, there are these issues that deal with deadly serious matters and that do
sometimes get very involved."
And thanks to today's improved technology, things like Doppler radar and the Internet,
it's a lot easier for Kevin and others in the forensic field to gather the necessary data
they need in court.
For information on Kevin Williams and forensic meteorology, check out our website at
weathernotebook.org. Our show is underwritten by Subaru, The Beauty of All-Wheel
Drive, with major support provided by the National Science Foundation.
Today's Links
Weather-Track, Inc
http://www.weather-track.com/
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