On Monday, Jan. 6, at 7 pm, the West Tisbury library will host a talk with Peter Neilley. According to a press release, we like to poke fun at weather forecasters for seemingly always getting the forecast wrong, so how can they possibly tell us anything about our future climate? This talk will take a look at how modern weather and climate forecasts are made, and what we do and do not know about the weather’s future, whether tomorrow’s or the next century’s. Neilley will also take a look at some of the most recent climate projections, and what that means for the Island. This event is free and open to the public. Refreshments will be served.
Peter Neilley is director of global forecasting sciences and technologies for the Weather Co. (TWC), an IBM business, and is responsible for the research and development of next-generation capabilities that drive all weather and weather-dependent content for the company. He has a bachelor’s degree in meteorology from McGill University, and master’s and Ph.D. from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. His is former chair of the American Meteorological Society’s committee on weather analysis and forecasting, and current co-chair of the committee reviewing and advising NOAA on its overall environmental prediction capabilities. He recently testified before Congress on the state of weather and climate forecasting in the U.S., and optimal pathways toward its improvement. Neilley is an IBM Distinguished Engineer, a member of the Academy of Technology, a fellow of the American Meteorological Society, and a year-round resident of Chilmark.