It was a dark and stormy night. Okay, so no crime writer worthy of the name would ever begin a novel with such a tired sentence. But in a murder investigation, detectives may need to establish that it was stormy on a particular night. They may need to know when the storm started and what impact it had at ground level, for example.
The investigating officers could consult weather reports and get an overview of the conditions in the area. However, only a Forensic Meteorologist will be able to supply the precise details of the weather at the specific time and location pertinent to the investigation.
Forensic Meteorologists reconstruct weather conditions that occurred at a particular time and location, rather than predicting what the weather will be like. Using a variety of archived data sources, including radar, satellite imagery, local weather station observations and National Weather Service bulletins, a Forensic Meteorologist will analyse the data and recreate a timeline of weather events for a certain location on the desired day.
Most of the work of a Forensic Meteorologist involves civil cases. Did the person who broke their leg after a fall in the street, really slip on some ice or had the ice melted some hours before? Did lightning really spark a fire which caused extensive damage to a house or did somebody fall asleep with a burning cigarette in their hand?
Insurance companies are good clients of Forensic Meteorologists. The roofing and engineering industries also have good reason to engage Forensic Meteorologists. If a roof is allegedly damaged by hail, for example, a Forensic Meteorologist can provide a scientifically accurate report that will verify the presence or absence of hail at the address in question.
In criminal cases, a Forensic Meteorologist may be able to break a murderer's alibi. In 2002, Michael Mosely was accused of bludgeoning two people to death in Troy, New York State. When he was arrested, Mosely had a cut on his hand. He claimed the cut was not suffered during the killings but happened while he was snowboarding with his son. The DA's office in Rensselaer County, NY called in Howard Altschule, an experienced Forensic Meteorologist.
Mr Altschule testified that at the time Mosely said he was snowboarding, it was actually raining. Using radar maps, Mr Altschule was able to show precisely where and when the rain was falling. Although the rain was light, it was significant enough to melt any snow. Mosely's alibi was destroyed. The jury found him guilty of both murders.
In another criminal case, Howard Altschule's evidence was crucial in assisting the prosecution. In 2009, Omar Long stood trial for the manslaughter of his daughter, Arianna, aged 23 months. Long left Arianna in his car, so he could take a nap. While he slept, Arianna died. The cause of death was hyperthermia - extreme heat exhaustion; the post-mortem also revealed that she had second degree burns on her body.
Watch an interview with Howard Altschule, where he explains what happened to the temperature inside the car.
Long was found guilty of manslaughter by culpable negligence and sentenced to 12 years imprisonment. He appealed unsuccessfully against his sentence earlier this year.
The field of forensic meteorology is growing fast, although its use in criminal cases is probably under-exploited at present. I'm sure forensic meteorology could form the basis of some inventive plot lines. Do you agree?
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