Palm Harbor Hurricane Forecaster Has Big Online Following

Here's something you may not know, we have a meteorologist here in Palm Harbor who has quite an online following when it comes to predicting and tracking hurricanes in Florida.

Over the last decade and a half, Thomas Walsh III, also known as “Storm” has been forecasting tropical weather from his professional weather station located at his residence in Palm Harbor known as the Palm Harbor Forecast Center. 

“I make my synopsis so that the non-meteorologist can follow along and fully understand what is going on with the weather,” said Walsh whose passion for meteorology began during his freshmen year of high school. 

“I took an interest in studying hurricanes, having moved to Florida a couple years prior,” he says, “I figured being in Florida, it was a good idea to have an understanding of them.”

Walsh says his real time tropical analysis and his forecasting -which is typically 72-96 hours out- have proven to be incredibly accurate.

He says there have been times when he has been 12-24 hours ahead of the National Hurricane Center in putting out correct information in regards to storm motion and strength. 

Walsh was awarded the 2006 and 2007 United States Coast Guard Public Service Commendation for hurricane forecasting he provided  to the USCG Maintenance and Logistics Command and the Atlantic Area Command.

Currently, Walsh’s main client is the U.S. Coast Guard Air Station Clearwater along with private clientele who subscribe to his website.  He's also a regular guest on the Barometer Bob Show which airs on the Hurricane Hollow website. The show is a live interactive webcast that invites viewers to ask questions.

Walsh says he meets the educational criteria of the American Meteorological Society to be recognized as a meteorologist. He is also an advanced certified Skywarn Official Storm Spotter.

Operating strictly on donations rather than paid subscriptions to the website, Walsh is a one-man team. "Any donation helps to offset the cost of electricity to run my computer all day and sometimes half the night if a storm threatens, along with items such as ink and paper for the printer for map analysis, and any software updates to weather software programs I use," he said.

So what's his official prediction for the 2011 Hurricane Season?

Walsh is predicting an above average hurricane season once again.

“I am looking at 14-16 storms, 8-10 of those to become hurricanes, and 4-5 of those to become intense hurricanes," he says.

You can see Walsh's track for Tropical Storm Emily and ask him any questions you may have by visiting the Palm Harbor Forecast Center.