UpDate - Vol. 12, No. 35, Page 1
June 24, 1993
State climatologist keeps an eye on state's weather

     Spending three hours in the studios of "The Weather Channel" on a
Friday evening might not be everyone's idea of a night on the town in
Atlanta, but for Delaware's State Climatologist Daniel J. Leathers, it was
an opportunity not to be missed.
     "It was a lot of fun," said Leathers, assistant professor of
geography. "They showed us around the place and let us into the studio
where the show was being broadcast live."
     Keeping an eye on the weather comes naturally to Leathers, who in
addition to his teaching and research duties, has been serving since
January as state climatologist.
     "I took the job because it ties in with my research on climatic
conditions in the Northeast," said Leathers, who considers his state
climatologist position a service commitment.
     Through his office in Newark Hall, Leathers combines forecasts given
by the National Weather Service in Washington D.C., with current and past
weather data to provide crucial information for various public and private
concerns.
     Power companies need to know what kind of weather conditions to expect
to determine how much energy they will need to produce to meet consumer
demands, Leathers said.
     Weather data and general predictions are also important to farmers who
must decide when to plant and harvest their crops. The major concern of
farmers in the state is getting enough rain at the proper intervals over
the course of the growing season, Leathers added.
     "The state gets plenty of rain," he said, "but the sandy soil in the
lower part of the state has a limited capacity to hold the water. We want
to find out how the information we gather can help farmers in Delaware."
     Leathers said that while Delaware usually enjoys mild, if sometimes
humid weather, severe weather may also occur.
     "Cold air masses out of northern Canada clash with warm air from the
Gulf of Mexico to produce tornados in the northeast region of the Unites
States," Leathers said.
     The task of monitoring tornados and other extreme weather events is
carried out at the University by the office of the state climatologist,
part of the Center for Climatic Research.
     This group of research professionals from the geography department
acts as a clearing house for climatic information.
     Under its director, Dr. Cort Wilmott, chairperson of the geography
department, the center gathers research from the University community and
makes these findings available in a series of publications.
     In addition to the research data generated on campus, the state
climatologist gets weather information from major outside sources,
including the Northeast Regional Climate Center at Cornell University in
Ithaca, New York, and the National Weather Service located in Washington
D.C.
     Researchers in climatology have been kept busy recently studying major
storms such as the Blizzard of '93, which hit the East Coast on March 13.
     "This was one of the greatest storms of the century," Leathers said.
"The storm covered a huge area, and the amount of water contained in the
snow fall was unusually high."
     This extremely high concentration of water was responsible for the
serious flooding that resulted from the melting snow according to Leathers.
     Another aspect of weather in Delaware is the possibility of severe
winter storms which can inflict great damage on the area beaches vital to
Delaware's tourist industry.
     "The last two years have been bad for the East Coast," Leathers said,
"including the December storm of 1992 which caused extensive beach
erosion."
     In April, Leathers appeared on a WHYY-TV news program where he was
asked if the major storms of the past few years are in any way connected to
global warming.
     Leathers said that while global warming is a topic of serious concern,
there is no evidence to link the recent series of severe storms to global
warming.
     "Science has not yet caught up with popular opinion on the global
warming issue," Leathers said. "Until it does, global warming will probably
be wrongly blamed for all kinds of unusual weather occurrences."
     When asked to comment on the performance of the news media concerning
the weather, Leathers said there is a wide range of expertise in the way
that the weather is reported.
     "In the midwest, where weather conditions are often life-threatening,
the level of professionalism is very high, and the TV stations have
excellent people," Leathers said.
     When people know that you are a meteorologist, you get asked all kinds
of interesting questions.
     "There are people who want to know what the weather will be like at 3
p.m. on July 18," Leathers said. "I tell them that it should be close to
normal."
     A native of Pennsylvania, Leathers, 32, earned a master's degree in
meteorology and a doctorate in geography at Pennsylvania State University.
He earned a bachelor's degree in physics at Lycoming College near
Williamsport. When not studying the clouds, Leathers and his wife, Pam,
head for his hometown of Williamsport with twin daughters Ashley and Emily,
to relax and do some fly-fishing.
     While juggling teaching, research and the job of state climatologist
keeps Leathers busy, he doesn't seem to mind.
     "I've been interested in the weather ever since I was a small child,"
he said. "I'm glad that I'm able to do this for a living."
                                        -Jerry Rhodes