weather watchers have what it takes! By Patrick Burgess Its equipment is a mixture of the sophisticated and old-fashioned, but the Bermuda Weather Service has a huge responsibility.

It monitors the local area in a huge three dimensional column.

Measurements are taken at sea-level, by balloon up to 90,000 feet, and by sensors some 300 miles over water.

Acting head of BWS, Dave Forbes spoke with The Royal Gazette last Monday -- a day distinguished by clear visibility and bright sun.

Changes in barometric pressure, wind direction, or wind strength are monitored 24 hours a day for any threat to good weather.

The BWS, run by Serco for the Bermuda Government, operates from the old US Navy passenger arrivals building across from Longtail Burgers at Southside.

The office is as sophisticated as any on the Island, but also uses the tried an true method of eyeballing inclement weather.

There is a bank of computers of a variety of makes and ages, and other specialised weather equipment and even a clock set to Universal Coordinated Time next to one showing local time.

Mr. Forbes said the total complement of staff was 12, half were meteorologists and the rest were meteorological technicians.

"We're here to provide whatever help we can to any Bermudian who has an interest in weather,'' Mr. Forbes said.

"Young Bermudians should give the Weather Service consideration,'' he continued. "They will have to accept shift work though. It is one of the less attractive aspects of meteorology.'' Prospective meteorologists would need to pass university preparatory courses and be strong in mathematics and sciences. Computer training would also be an asset.

"He or she would have to spend two to five years of further education,'' Mr.

Forbes added.

Students could attend the Barbados' Caribbean Institute of Meteorology which has an 18-month intensive course or they can obtain a meteorological degree from an accredited university.

"Then they will get one and a half years of further training and more on the job training,'' Mr. Forbes said.

BWS is committed to a Bermudianisation programme and at present there are two students abroad studying to be meteorologists. Meteorological technicians will need a high school diploma with a strong background in maths and the sciences, particularly physics, and complete a six-month training programme.

Meteorological technicians collect (and broadcast) data from the Aeronautical Fixed Telecom Network, (AFTN) which provides reams of information to weather bureaus all over the world.

AFTN is the service that pilots all over the world rely on to fly safely. One who might need to know the Bermuda area weather need only check it.

Meteorological technician Patrice Carter called it "our window to the world''.

BWS sends aloft a $200 balloon every day during the winter and twice a day during hurricane season.

It is the responsibility of the duty technician to crunch the raw data from the balloon.

"We don't predict what the weather does, we observe,'' Ms Carter explained.

"A lot of it is scientific "guestimation'' and even with all the instrumentation, we should go outside and have a look.'' The technicians monitor temperature, dew pattern, pressure, humidity, wind direction, wind speed, and visibility.

The data is processed into a single, detailed graph called a Tephigram and from it a meteorologist can get a comprehensive view of the surrounding weather.

"We can take what the computers and machines say,'' meteorologist Pieter Spyker said. "But sometimes we have to make adjustments based on our experience.'' In addition to the reams of paper of various sizes that staff at BWS use, they have the Internet and direct satellite links at their fingertips.

A half dozen computer monitors make up the nerve centre of the office.

The largest computer monitor is dedicated to a geostationary satellite (GOES) that provides high resolution images every 15 minutes.

"Certainly the Eastern GOES link to the weather satellite over the equator is most helpful for forecasting in Bermuda,'' Mr. Spyker said.

Its "footprint'' or coverage area is the eastern portions of North, Central, and South America, and western North Atlantic.

With the installation of a dedicated satellite dish last summer, BWS receives a visual picture as well as infra-red and water vapour images every 15 minutes.

GOES is supplemented with the Broadview Lightning Detector which plots lightning as far out as 300 miles. "It plots the noise that lightning makes, just like lightning does over the radio that we are all familiar with,'' Mr.

Forbes said.

"It is specifically for getting the direction of thunderstorms, but we use Radar for when they get closer.'' The Radar's range is not as extensive as the lightning detector or GOES, only giving practical readings to 100 miles.

It is a good tool for predicting the severity of a storm and whether it will hit the Island and even where it might hit.

Near the bank of computers is an old fashioned barograph, which plots readings of barometric pressure onto a spool of paper.

A barograph plotting of the hours before and after Hurricane Emily on September 25, 1987 shows a dramatic drop when the eye of the storm passed over the Island.

In addition to contributing to AFTN and the Bermuda Airport, BWS provides information to Harbour Radio, the Emergency Measures Organisation, all of the media outlets, hotels, Marine and Ports, and the Yacht processing centre.

Mr. Forbes said: "The workload of the Service increases during the hurricane season of June 1 to November 30.'' "Of course last year, the weather pattern El Nino's effect on Bermuda was that it suppressed the development of hurricanes,'' he added.