7QUESTIONS+PLUS

Ken Rizzo, a chief meteorologist at the National Weather Service’s office in Sullivan, Wis. A St. Joseph High School graduate, Rizzo has worked in meteorology for the National Weather Service for the last 32 years. He’s watched the weather patterns in Fairbanks, Ala., Ann Arbor and Lansing, Mich., Cheyenne, Wyo., Kansas City, Mo. This week, he explains how he became fascinated by weather and why he stopped storm chasing.

Ken Rizzo will now take your questions ...

What made you want to become a meteorologist? I was always fascinated with the weather because I usually worked outside. One of my first jobs was a Kenosha News Paper Route. It was route number 89 on 24th Avenue between 47th and 52nd streets.

What weather phenomenon fascinates you most and why? Winter Snow Storms because they have a great impact on society over a large area.

How much does global warming have to do with our recent weather patterns? The relation of global warming on recent weather patterns is not my area of expertise. I have no professional comment on the subject.

Since you started, what kind of changes have you seen in weather patterns or the technology? Concerning weather patterns, since the early ’90s southeast Wisconsin has experienced generally warmer winters.

I’ve noticed on radar that many times when a storm is approaching Kenosha, it splits up, dissipates or tracks south through Chicago. Does Lake Michigan alter storm course or is it just my imagination? Lake Michigan has a significant effect on our weather, but I assume the question is about thunderstorms. Thunderstorms are driven by the winds aloft and thus the track is not generally altered by Lake Michigan. Additionally, Lake Michigan has little affect on the strength of a powerful thunderstorm. In most cases thunderstorms just move from land to over the lake’s waters. But I have seen cases where thunderstorms have strengthened or weakened when they get over the water. More research is needed to fully understand what is happening in these cases.

I heard about the overseas cyclone. What is the difference between a cyclone and a tornado? With some help from the Glossary of Meteorology and Wikipedia I’ll attempt to answer this question. In modern meteorology, a cyclone is an area of low atmospheric pressure characterized by inward spiraling winds that rotate counter-clockwise in the northern hemisphere and clockwise in the southern hemisphere of the Earth. The generic term covers a wide variety of meteorological phenomena. These include tropical cyclones, extratropical cyclones, and mesocyclones so meteorologists rarely use “cyclone” without additional qualification.

Generally on television these days, a tropical cyclone is a hurricane that is in or originated in the Indian Ocean. It is a large scale meteorological phenomena which contains bands of hundreds of thunderstorms usually arranged in spiral bands. The initial use of the word cyclone was very general for all circular wind systems that produced inclement weather. Many seniors use the term cyclone interchangeably with the word tornado. There is a difference.

A tornado is a violently rotating column of air in contact with the ground either underneath or pendant from a thunderstorm. It is a much smaller scale phenomena than a tropical cyclone.

Do you storm chase? I went chasing once with my wife’s car — before cell phones. I got lost and punched into a hail shaft with golf ball size hail. I came back with the car badly damaged by the hail. I never went chasing again. Chasing storms is dangerous even if you are knowledgeable and have the most current technology.

What’s the most memorable or craziest weather event you’ve experienced? My most memorable weather event occurred when my family traveled over Red Mountain pass in Colorado. In the matter of a few miles we experienced fog, drizzle, rain, snow, heavy snow, back to rain and back to sunshine as we drove over the pass. I should not have attempted the drive, but I was pulling a camper and once I started I had no where to turn around. I should have checked the weather conditions and forecast before I started.

What’s your favorite season in Kenosha and why? Early fall, mainly September. The weather is good and there are not many golfers on the courses. If you bring a portable radio, you can listen to football while playing golf on the weekend. Can life be any better?

When a menacing tornado appears on the horizon, are you more likely to head for the basement or step outside to get a better view? I have been on many tornado damage surveys and seen the damage. I am heading for the basement.

With all the technology available to weather forecasters these days, how do some still get it wrong? Technology, as it is frequently presented, gives you the false sense that everything happening in the atmosphere is properly sampled and understood. The atmosphere is extremely complex. We are still far from understanding and being able to computer model all of the complex possesses that occur.

Is there such a thing as overreacting to a storm? What do you think of the media’s portrayal of our weather? We live in an information world. Advancements in the science of meteorology combined with improved technology makes it possible to bring you so much more detailed weather information than ever before. Most of the time I don’t think the media is overreacting to storms. They are just very concerned about public safety.