I began this past year with a review of the previous ten years…a decade in review of sorts, looking at noteworthy weather events (as voted on #wxtwitter). That review seems like so long ago. It’s almost as if writing a review of this past year is like writing another decade in review. Looking ahead to 2020 quickly became how-fast-can-we-get-through-2020. A year highlighted by a lot of negatives was given its own hashtag (#2020). And, in case you didn’t know, tweets with that appended to it weren’t the most encouraging. I often try to find the light in the middle of the forest, while not diminishing the existence of the struggle to get through the trees. Below is my attempt at this perspective as I think back on 2020…
It’s striking to me how we, as a people, bounced around with how to handle the incoming pandemic, then more or less settled into a groove. Out-of-the-box ideas, pre-COVID, suddenly became hugely important. Within the NWS, I’ve watched as telework and virtual meetings have gone from occasional use to how-did-we-survive-without-this? It’s like life after 88D radars (how did you even issue warnings before?). COVID has brought some changes to operations that will probably stick with us for the foreseeable future, many of those positive.
A layer of virtualness in operations has its pros, but at times it also leaves something to be desired (at least it has for me). I’m incredibly grateful for technology and the ability to still “see” people face to face (imagine COVID in the 1980s…yikes). Where it has been tough, at times, is missing the day to day, in-person interactions. Some have probably loved COVID’s change in operations since it has made it more quiet in the office (nothing wrong with that), but that’s not me. I really enjoy being in an office full of people. Pre-COVID, I was always was a little bummed about working weekends, not because everyone else in the world is off, but because the office is lighter on faces. Every day now is a weekend. Like with telework and virtual meetings, though, it has become normal and I’ve settled into the groove of never-ending weekend shifts. Don't tell anyone, but sometimes the quiet of the new normal is nice, especially with the noise of four young children at home :)
I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention those on permanent telework. I miss having a full office, but at least I get to go into the office and see a few people on a regular basis. There are those, in the weather community, who haven’t been in an office on a regular basis in almost a year. That’s hard to imagine, and I want to fully acknowledge the difficulties of that, especially for those who would rather be in an office with people.
2020 was a learning curve for operations in the middle of a pandemic, but I gotta say…I’m really impressed with how the agency just settled into a groove to keep our service going. It’s so neat to watch people improvise and find a way to make things happen. I’ve seen that in high-impact weather events in years past and I’ve watched it again with COVID. A previous forecaster in our office used to grace us with a hearty “NEAAATTT!!”, and I echo that sentiment as I think back on the flexibility of operations over the past year.
While COVID and politics (don’t worry, I won’t go there) have taken much of 2020’s stage, weather certainly made many attempts to grab some air time. For starters, tornadoes weren’t all that fond of the Plains, and instead chose locations like Oregon and Maine. The NWS Wichita office’s lack of tornadoes in 2020 made a nice, little doughnut hole in the Plains, with a scattering of tornadoes in surrounding states.
On a personal note, the Chattanooga tornado sticks out to me the most as that is where I spent my early childhood, and is where a large portion of my family still resides. Watching a debris signature so clearly evident over a city like that always carries some weight, but this one was different for me. I can count on one hand the number of times I have called my Grandparents and told them to get to the closet…this year makes #2 (the first was during the 4/27/11 tornado outbreak). Fortunately, my family all survived this year’s tornado, but one family member had significant damage in their neighborhood, including their house. Among other damage, a tree split their house in half, and landed the next room over from where they were seeking shelter. That debris signature on radar probably included parts of their house and neighborhood. Seeing a signature like that on radar and then waiting to hear from people…not a great feeling. But, what a relief after hearing all were spared!
Other notable events that stick out to me are the Midwest Derecho (can't get enough of those YouTube videos and how the wind just wouldn't stop) and the insanely active Atlantic Hurricane season. I kinda just thought that the 2020 hurricane season would simply merge into 2021. It’s amazing Louisiana is still on the map.
As quiet as the weather has been here in southern Kansas, I almost feel a little sheltered from the big weather events that other offices, and areas of the country, had to deal with in the middle of COVID. On a side note, I would love to hear from anyone who has worked in some of those big events this past year and how COVID played a role (operations, messaging, etc.). Feel free to comment below or hit me up on Twitter!
Looking ahead to 2021, I’d say I’m cautiously optimistic. I tend to see life from the glass is half full perspective, and I’d say I’m still in that camp as I look forward. But, like with the uncertainties in an approaching winter storm, I’m less confident on what to expect. I will say, however, when I think about the weather community I so enjoy being a part of, I feel confident that a passion for what we do will still be there. COVID and politics seem to be the wild cards, but I don’t foresee those stopping what we do.
If I’ve learned anything from this year that I can take into the next, it would probably be to worry less about what others think. Being mindful, and considerate, of others is one thing, but it’s something else when focusing on others’ opinions too much leads to unhealthy decision making, or an unhealthy view of myself. Think of it this way…some of the people we most want to have positive opinions of us are the very people we may hurt the most by not being honest or by not being ourselves. I like to use Key Takeaways in weather messaging, and this was my personal key takeaway from 2020. What about you? What’s your key takeaway(s)? Is there anything from 2020 that sticks out to you as a point of improvement going into 2021?
I don’t really know how to end a post like this that doesn’t sound corny or lacking sincerity/originality, so I’ll make my best attempt. I truly hope 2021 has some great moments for you. If 2020 was full of bad, I hope the good outweighs the negatives in 2021. I hope areas of weakness can be strengthened. Lastly, I really hope for improved relationships and the return of common ground (where it has been lost). COVID and politics really seemed to cause some separation. While that may not fully change, my hope is that we can find common ground to stand on and work from. We don’t all have to agree on everything, but I still believe we can work together effectively and respectfully. I believe the environment we can create in that scenario can help us face whatever challenges the future holds.
“We all do better when we work together. Our differences do matter, but our common humanity matters more.” -
