Experience counts! WVEC-TV is the only local television station with a team of four meteorologists. Is that a big deal? Absolutely.

What exactly is the difference between a "meteorologist" and a "weatherman?"
The accepted professional standard for a meteorologist is a four-year Bachelor of Science degree in Atmospheric Science or Meteorology. Some TV "weathermen" have no meteorological training at all, while others calling themselves meteorologists have either no training, or a "certificate of broadcast meteorology."

Who will you trust when severe weather 
threatens Hampton Roads?

WVEC's weather technology includes a comprehensive array of weather data and imagery, and some of the most sophisticated weather systems available, such as our powerful WeatherLab Doppler Radar, and other weather imagery covering the entire world. Combine this superior technology with the experience of the 13News WeatherLab team, and the result is weather information you can trust.

 

Jeff Lawson, Chief Meteorologist
Bachelor of Science in Meteorology,Pennsylvania State University
jlawson@wvec.com

Before joining WVEC, Jeff studied with some of the world's most renowned weather experts, and honed his forecasting skills in demanding environments.

Jeff's first job in weather came after he won first place in a weather forecasting competition, pitted against the founder of AccuWeather, who hired Jeff on the spot. While Jeff was 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 Jeff's forecast. These included offshore oil rigs, ski resorts, city governments, and school systems. One of the most critical forecasts he's ever made was for emergency planners following the Three Mile Island nuclear accident.

Jeff has studied 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.) Jeff also studied at the NOAA Tropical Prediction Center, specializing in the winds section. This hurricane experience has proven to be invaluable for Hampton Roads residents, as Jeff has given dead-on accurate forecasts for hurricanes that have threatened Hampton Roads in the past several years.

Jeff also worked to develop standards in computer weather models and satellite imagery analysis, standards which are used today to train other meteorologists. He's served as regional President of the American Meteorological Society, and was one of the early recipients of the AMS seal of approval. Jeff is often asked to testify in court as an expert witness in meteorology. 

Jeff is known as an effective communicator during severe weather situations, priding himself 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.

 

Craig Moeller, Meteorologist
Bachelor of Science in Atmospheric Science, Missouri University
cmoeller@wvec.com

In his college days at Missouri, Craig Moeller's idea of fun was chasing tornadoes across the plains of the Midwest. It was not just for fun, however, as Craig and his colleagues were gathering important data to help us understand the nature of these intense storms. It also inspired an interest in severe weather coverage. Craig has extensive training in satellite imagery analysis and Doppler radar interpretation. When tornadic weather occurs in Hampton Roads, Craig's experience makes him a trusted source for the vital weather information you need.

While attending the University of Missouri, Craig did extensive research on the Greenhouse Effect, the emission of "greenhouse gases," and their affect on global warming. He also interned at the National Weather Service field office in Columbia, Mo., where he took weather observations and entered data for the NWS official records. Craig covered devastating flooding across mid-Missouri while at KOMU-TV, and was later featured in an educational TV special covering the Great Midwestern Floods of 1993.

At his next station, KUTV, he reported on snowpack and spring water runoff management studies in Salt Lake City, Utah, participating with the U.S. Snow Survey in the Uinta Mountain Range to gauge snowpack. Craig gained experience and knowledge in mountain meteorology and is especially adept at predicting lake effect and bay effect snow.

Since joining 13NEWS in 1997, Craig has won three Capital/Chesapeake Bay Emmys. He twice received the award as the Meteorologist/Associate Producer of 13NEWS Daybreak, and once for outstanding reporting on the “Severe Weather Test” series. He was sent to Florida and Alabama to cover Hurricane Ivan at landfall. Craig is involved with several annual community events, charities, and local holiday parades.

Not only does Craig cover the weather Monday through Friday on 13NEWS Daybreak and 13NEWS at Noon, he also hosts segments of “It’s Our Watch/Project Green.” His reports cover environmental issues and the impacts (both positive and negative) we have on the planet.

When not on television, you might catch Craig making an educational weather presentation to students at an area school, out helping with his church’s youth group, coaching his sons’ teams on the baseball fields or basketball courts, or at one of the great campgrounds in the region, just kicking back with his family.

 

Evan Stewart, Meteorologist
Bachelor of Science in Meteorology, Magna cum Laude
North Carolina State University
estewart@wvec.com

Evan Stewart is a Chesapeake native and the weekend evening meteorologist at WVEC. Evan found his passion for weather while growing up in Hampton Roads. Events like the “Circus Blizzard of 1980” and Hurricane Gloria etched a lasting impression in his mind. He has made a lifelong study of Hampton Roads' quirky weather and his observations are backed by considerable training in math and physics, which are the "nuts and bolts" of meteorology. Evan graduated from North Carolina State University in 1995 with a Bachelor of Science in Meteorology and joined WVEC in September of that same year. Evan holds the Seal of Approval from the American Meteorological Society.

While in college, Evan interned at WTVD in Durham, North Carolina, and WVEC. During his internship, Evan conducted research on forecast verification. He compared forecasts from various computer models and human forecasters to determine which were more accurate. Not surprisingly, he found that despite the computer advancements over the years, the human mind and intuition are still more accurate than the computer models. As one of his professors used to say “computer models are guidance, not gospel.”

While not on the air, Evan does a lot of the “behind the scenes” work in the Weather Lab. He is the computer specialist, charged with the design and upkeep of over $500,000 worth of weather equipment along with the Engineering department (who jokingly refer to him as an “honorary Engineer.”) He also gives school talks, volunteers with the Chesapeake 4-H Clubs, and is a frequent contributor to WVEC.com.

 

Julie Wilcox, Meteorologist
Bachelor of Science in Meteorology
Texas A&M University
Bachelor of Science in Broadcast Journalism, Cum Laude
Syracuse University
jwilcox@wvec.com

Julie Wilcox studied meteorology in Texas, a state that experiences just about every form of severe weather, and has serious problems with air pollution. At Texas A&M, Julie focused on the dynamics of meteorology, meaning a heavy emphasis on math and physics. She also studied the atmopspheric chemistry of air pollution.

Julie has had intensive training in radar interpretation, which will be invaluable to Hampton Roads viewers when thunderstorms and other severe weather moves through the area. Julie also conducted a research project on microbursts, sudden violent downdrafts which can be deadly to aircraft. Her study examined developments in radar technology to better detect microbursts and thereby save lives.

In addition to her training in meteorology, Julie also holds a BS in Broadcast Journalism from Syracuse University, where she graduated with honors. Her background includes working for several years as a television news reporter in Albany, New York.

Growing up in New Jersey, Julie has always been interested in the hurricanes that menace the East Coast of the United States.