Forensic Meteorology

Forensic meteorology is the application of the scientific method to historical weather events and their resulting impacts with regard to legal action, whether civil or criminal. Relevant data can include weather observations, radar and satellite imagery, and eyewitness accounts. The goal is to reconstruct weather events for a particular place and time.

Clients can include insurance companies, individual businesses, and lawyers presenting cases impacted by the weather. While most cases are settled out of court, there are occasions where the forensic meteorologist will be deposed or even testify as an expert witness. In my experience as a forensic meteorologist, I have worked on cases involving chemical releases due to a river catching on fire; whether a company should have moved a drilling rig in the path on an oncoming hurricane; and an unfortunate case involving a deadly boating accident. Each case is different and with over 70 years of meteorological experience, Chesapeake Analytics has the expertise to help you and your clients obtain the justice they rightfully deserve.

For more information on why expert witnesses are brought in, read our January 2021 article, What is Forensic Meteorology?

“There are disasters that are entirely manmade, but none that are entirely natural.” ― Rebecca Solint