Jeff Lawson
Chief Meteorologist
Before joining WVEC, I studied with some of the world's most renowned weather experts, and honed my forecasting skills in demanding environments.
My first job in weather came after I won first place in a weather forecasting competition, pitted against the founder of AccuWeather, who hired me on the spot.
While at AccuWeather, and later at Weather Center, another company providing forecast services, clients who could not afford to take chances with the weather relied on my forecasts. These included offshore oil rigs, ski resorts, city governments, and school systems.One of the most critical forecasts I ever made was for emergency planners following the Three Mile Island nuclear accident.
I was lucky enough to study with some of the world's foremost experts in hurricanes, starting with Dr. Vern Dvorak, for whom the Dvorak Scale is named. (The Dvorak scale is a measurement of hurricane intensity derived from satellite imagery.)
I also worked in the "winds section" of NOAA's Tropical Prediction Center. This hurricane experience has proven to be invaluable in helping me make often unique forecasts for hurricanes that have threatened Hampton Roads during my 20 years here at WVEC.
I also worked to develop standards in computer weather models and satellite imagery analysis, standards which are used today to train other meteorologists. I served as regional President of the American Meteorological Society, and was one of the early recipients of the AMS seal of approval. I am often asked to testify in court as an expert witness in meteorology. I am a Certified Broadcast Meteorologist, certified by the American Meteorological Society.
I like to think of myself as an effective communicator during severe weather situations, and pride myself on giving easy to understand information in a calm, non-hyped fashion, while working "on the fly" with real-time data from the 13News Weather Lab Doppler radar.
