Spratt retires after 29 years of forecasting weather
Former National Weather Service meteorologist shares what he’s learned
Scott Spratt is the warning coordination meteorologist at the National Weather Service office in Melbourne, which serves the Orlando area. After 29 years there, he retired at the end of the year. Spratt shared with the Orlando Sentinel his highs, lows and outlook for Central Florida weather.
Question: Why did you get into weather work?
Answer: As far back as I can remember, I had a fascination with weather, especially with how quickly conditions could change and how impacts could be so localized. I grew up in New England so winter weather was the most impactful, but hurricanes interested me the most — maybe because they were so rare for our area. My dream job was one where I could help people better understand and prepare for weather extremes.
Q: What single weather event was the most harrowing for you?
A: The deadly tornadoes of Feb. 22-23, 1998, stand out far above all others. Our staff accurately forecasted the highly unusual threat for strong tornadoes a few days in advance and issued tornado warnings using unique and emphatic language tens-of-minutes in advance of the destruction. Yet, due to the tornadoes being so violent, three long-track F3 tornadoes with winds up to 206 mph, and occurring at night, 42 lives were still lost.
Q: After nearly 30 years at the Melbourne office, you must have an amazing familiarity with Central Florida weather — its habits, quirks and abilities.
A: In semi-tropical regions like Florida, weather is often highly localized, such as raining heavily in one spot while remaining totally dry only a few blocks away, which makes forecasting especially challenging. Understanding local winds and how they interact with the Central Florida geography help explain a lot of the complexities, including favorable locations for thunderstorm formation, tornadoes, flooding, extreme temperatures and even fog development. This is why gaining local expertise is so critically important.
Q: After retiring, do you think you will check your weather office website at weather.gov/mlb/ each morning?
A: I promised our staff that I wouldn’t do that! But I know it’s impossible to remove the curiosity of weather from those that have such an intense interest, so I’m sure I’ll be keeping tabs. Watching and learning about weather started as a hobby for me and I guess it will now return as a hobby once again after a very fulfilling career.
Q: What’s your favorite weather?
A:
Living in Hawaii for several years, I really got to enjoy “trade wind weather” — warm tropical breezes of 20-30 mph with quick passing cumulus clouds and a few very brief showers. But experiencing Florida lightning storms is a close second as long as they are brief and not damaging!
Q: What’s been the biggest change in forecasting during your career? A:
The accuracy of forecasting has improved tremendously over my career due to better data collection, greater computing power and higher resolution models. While forecasting precise impacts at a particular location can still be very challenging, the days of being totally surprised by impacts from a large-scale storm system or a period of extreme temperatures are in the past.
Q: In light of the terrible tornadoes across the Midwest recently, what are your thoughts on potential climate changes in Central Florida?
A:
While a particular event cannot be attributed to climate change, there has been a noticeable trend toward a higher frequency of extreme weather, especially excessive rainfall and flooding. Given improved forecasting, the focus now needs to shift toward ensuring that those in harm’s way truly understand what will likely impact them and when — with enough confidence for them to be compelled to take the necessary precautions.
Scott Spratt is retiring after nearly 30 years at the National Weather Service office in Melbourne, which serves the Orlando area. The photo was taken as darks clouds approached at Patrick Air Force Base beach.