Chris Geelhart

Photo of my dad and I around 2008

Rest easy, Dad.

Latest on Texas Hill Country flood tragedy Chantal makes landfall in South Carolina

I have spent the last 24 hours looking at media reports and social media posts about the Texas Hill County tragedy and being appalled by the level of misinformation I am seeing. I have tried to put together an updated, more reasoned summary I hope you'll read.

open.substack.com/pub/balanced...

Flood Watch issued yesterday at 1:18 pm.

WPC had mesoscale discussions throughout the event.

NWS issues Flash Flood Warning at 1:14 am.

NWS issues Flash Flood Emergency at 4:03 am.

NWS was on the ball.

The challenge is always getting the warning the last mile and getting people to respond.

Sunset at the National Weather Service office in Lincoln, Illinois on June 30th

Sunset at the NWS office this evening. #nofilter

5 Questions You Shouldn’t Ask Meteorologists And The Reasons Why Don't ask meteorologists these 5 questions (and the reasons why).

Had some fun with my weekend writing. Anyone guilty of any of the 5? :)
www.forbes.com/sites/marsha...

Crepuscular rays as seen from the Lincoln NWS office.

Snagged a few crepuscular rays at work this evening, from storms in eastern Iowa 150 miles away.

Geocolor satellite data from GOES-19 of the Bloomington/Normal IL area, with Rivian plant highlighted

Sentinel-2 satellite image of Rivian plant on June 8.

I’ve been noticing the Rivian EV plant in Normal, Illinois has been showing up on GOES-19 satellite data recently. 1st image from this morning (through the smoke layer), second from Sentinel-2 this past Sunday.

A couple people from my office have spent 2-week stints at this office to help fill gaps. Another is currently in KS helping out, with another going there next month. We also one helping out in CO in August. We’re down 5 positions, but only one vacancy is a meteorologist.

Makes it sound like he’s thinking of the old AFOS displays that went away in the 90s.

30+ years in the NWS and I’ve never used a “green screen.” Is he thinking of TV meteorologists?

“As the NWS starts to try to hire these new 125 staff members, does anyone think that any of those probationary people that were let go are going to come back to federal service after the way they were treated?”

This is the part I first thought of at this news.

Sunrise in Lincoln, IL on May 26

Nice sunrise at the ol’ Weather Bureau on a cool Memorial Day early morning

Sped up the Indianapolis Wienie 500 to make it look like an actual car race with the photo finish and the key commentary at normal speed

Where does your weather forecast come from? Whether you get your forecast from an app on your phone, a website or a meteorologist on TV, most of the underlying information comes from the federal government.

Whether you get your forecast from an app on your phone, a website or a meteorologist on TV, most of the underlying information comes from the federal government.
By @rhersher.bsky.social

Simply incredible satellite imagery of a dust storm hitting Chicago this evening.

Map of central Illinois storm reports on May 15.

First time on the warning desk since July. I think I ended up putting out 13-14 warnings on Thursday. Friday looks like another active day.

I would think at this early stage, it’s not much different than a couple weeks of AL.

I was visiting the Lincoln NWS office that day (stationed at the old Springfield office). The radar had finished construction a couple weeks prior and was still undergoing testing. There was some fear it would be destroyed before it could even be used.

A militarized conspiracy theorist group believes radars are ‘weather weapons’ and is trying to destroy them | CNN National Weather Service offices around the country are on guard after recent threats to agency infrastructure — specifically Doppler weather radars — from a violent militia-style group, emails from t...

Yeah, it’s been a #Monday. Also, #DopplerRadars are NOT weapons. They are life saving technology that helps identify and allow for #weather alerts that could pose a threat to life and property.

www.cnn.com/2025/05/05/w...

Sharing an open letter from all of the former National Weather Service Directors (Louis Uccellini, Jack Hayes, Brigadier General D.L. Johnson, Brigadier General John J. Kelly Jr., E.W. (Joe) Friday, Ph.D.) on the importance of NOAA/NWS and the implications of budget/staff cuts on the NOAA mission:

Gift article www.nytimes.com/2025/05/02/w...

YouTube video by Cole Vaughn Dear NOAA: Thank You

Today was the last day at NOAA for hundreds of employees who took an early retirement offer. Collectively, an estimated 27,000 years of experience left the agency. It goes without saying they will be missed. Their decades of service is commendable & appreciated.

m.youtube.com/watch?v=Si-R...

I had a similar experience several years ago, addressing the remake of Double Dare.

From 12 UTC on Tuesday, April 2 to 12 UTC on Wednesday, April 3, NWS Forecast Offices have issued 768 severe thunderstorm, tornado, and flash flood warnings

This is next highest total number of SVR+TOR+FF for an April calendar date since the April 26-27, 2011 Super Outbreak

We try to be cognizant of how long people are there, and will avoid longer than 12 hours if possible. If someone is working the warning desk, swapping positions after 5-6 hours is recommended to keep fatigue from setting in.

garfield is laying in a box with a blanket and the words `` goodnight '' written above him . ALT: garfield is laying in a box with a blanket and the words `` goodnight '' written above him .

Nothing like a 13-hour shift with tons of severe weather to fill your day.

Wednesday severe weather outlook

3 severe weather outbreaks under my belt so far this season, with #4 scheduled for Wednesday.

Finally made the decision for my personal account back around Thanksgiving. Monitoring it at work is the only reason I see it anymore.

a man is walking down a hallway with a suitcase and a backpack . Alt: a man is walking down a hallway with a suitcase and a backpack, collapsing with fatigue.

Today’s forecast desk work involved: Tornado Watch, Wind Advisory, Red Flag Warning, a dust plume moving overhead, and consideration of winter weather headlines. All occurring over a 24 hour period. Topped off with 3.5 hours of overtime.