Kelton Halbert
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stormscale.io
Kelton Halbert
@stormscale.io
Personal account, views my own, you know the drill. Techniques Development Meteorologist for the Storm Prediction Center.

See more of my photography:
https://www.instagram.com/keltore

My blog:
https://www.stormscale.io
Pinned
SHARPlib 1.1.0 has been released to PyPI and conda-forge, and it was a pretty big update! Of note:

- Unified Python & C++ web documentation! keltonhalbert.github.io/SHARPlib/lat...
- Fully typed Python bindings
- Additional parameters
- Bug fixes

github.com/keltonhalber...
Reposted by Kelton Halbert
Very disheartened by the UNL chancellor's decision to recommend the Earth & Atmospheric Sciences Department for elimination, despite the opposition from the Academic Planning Committee's vote.

Both the opposing and in favor summary noted the value EAS provides to the discipline, and both sides
November 11, 2025 at 3:23 AM
Reposted by Kelton Halbert
They are really planning to go through with these cuts at Nebraska, despite recommendations not to. Unbelievable.

If you want to hire highly qualified, very successful earth and atmospheric sciences faculty in teaching and research, quite a few are probably looking for jobs for next year.
Final Budget Reduction Plan | Budget Process | Nebraska
budgetprocess.unl.edu
November 10, 2025 at 11:19 PM
Reposted by Kelton Halbert
its difficult to hire.
like those cooking shows where the judges say: “its overcooked by 8 secs”, “too much salt”, “this is overpowering” & they proceed to lick the plate clean. b/c the competition is fierce. each candidate has a diff fit. diff expertise. tailor your resume.
November 11, 2025 at 4:15 PM
Reposted by Kelton Halbert
I first wrote and cron’d the script that makes these @NWSSPC upper air maps in November 1998. It’s been running and making the twice-daily UA maps for the past 27 years at this URL: www.spc.noaa.gov/obswx/maps/. That’s over 138,000 maps online and it’s still going!
November 10, 2025 at 9:18 PM
Reposted by Kelton Halbert
The Nashville radar is down. But, the good people who serve you every day at the NWS finally received the 130lb palette with the part on it. Their two techs are now lugging that part to the top of the radar tower to try and get the radar operational before SVR arrives. All while not being paid.
November 7, 2025 at 3:50 PM
Nothing hits quite like code running super fast
November 5, 2025 at 7:13 PM
Reposted by Kelton Halbert
Another big finding was that QLCS events have changed drastically in the last decade and are not distributed uniformly. This is likely the result of dual pol implementation, different warning/reporting philosophy, changes in population/urban bullseye and some decades variability.
November 5, 2025 at 3:18 PM
Reposted by Kelton Halbert
I was able to successfully recreate Smiths results using decadal KDEs and expand the sample to a large more representative climo window.

Some findings:

Dixie Alley is king for tornado occurance, but the Plains win for supercell mode!

The Ohio Valley is QLCS central but supercells not so much!
November 5, 2025 at 3:18 PM
Reposted by Kelton Halbert
I was going to wait until the shutdown was over but the cat is out if the bag. My first journal article is now live!

Convective Mode Classification and Distribution of Contiguous United States Tornado Events from 2003–2023 in: Weather and Forecasting - Ahead of print share.google/M3ty4pVs5Tld...
Convective Mode Classification and Distribution of Contiguous United States Tornado Events from 2003–2023
Abstract Tornadoes and severe thunderstorms represent a significant threat to life and property in the United States annually. Approximately one thousand tornadoes, two-hundred being significant (F/EF-2+), are documented on average every year. Using archived radar and Storm Data storm report information, 21 912 tornado grid hours were manually analyzed for convective mode from the years 2003–2023. This dataset builds upon prior work by Smith et al. (2012) (hereafter S12) by more than doubling the sample size to produce a robust, multidecadal climatology of tornadoes by convective mode. Comparisons were made between tornado samples spanning 2003–2011 and 2012–2023 to assess changes in the frequency and spatial occurrence of tornadoes. Convective mode characterization consisted of a subjective analysis of WSR-88D imagery into three categories: 1) supercell, 2) quasi–linear convective system (QLCS), and 3) disorganized. Spatial climatologies of the different modes were performed and Kernel Density Estimate plots of events per decade were generated as in S12. The highest climatological frequency for tornadic supercells is reaffirmed to extend from KS and OK east-southeastward to MS and AL, while QLCS tornadoes are more frequent from the northern Gulf Coast states into the lower Ohio River Valley. Comparing the new sample to the original, QLCS tornado relative frequency increased by over 100%. Substantial variation in QLCS tornado occurrence may be due to non-meteorological factors such as dual polarization radar and different observing/reporting practices.
share.google
November 5, 2025 at 3:18 PM
Somehow, some way, this Oklahoma team beat Tennessee in Knoxville at night.

Scored 30+ points on an SEC team for the first time in 2 years.

Held Tennessee to under 30 points.

Just wild. BOOMER SOONER!
November 2, 2025 at 3:36 AM
Reposted by Kelton Halbert
Calling all ensemble forecast system enthusiasts! The State of Texas is funding development of a new ensemble prediction system (100 members, 2km grid spacing) with an embedded WoFS interface, to be developed at Texas Tech! Passing along 3 open research scientist positions towards that development:
October 27, 2025 at 5:13 PM
It is my humble opinion that ncview visualizations are underrated and under appreciated.
October 22, 2025 at 8:05 PM
Been having a rough few weeks I’m bowing league, and then pulled out this 193 all of a sudden. New personal best, and took 3 of 4 points off the best team in the league 🤷‍♂️
October 15, 2025 at 2:12 AM
A few weeks ago, I had the opportunity to see the North Cascades National Park and the beautiful fall colors present. Only just now getting around to the photos, but it was such a dream. The weather was perfect and the colors were so vibrant!
October 14, 2025 at 10:14 PM
I need it
October 12, 2025 at 3:25 AM
That was pretty pathetic.

Fire Bill Bedenbaugh and Demarco into the sun. They’ve both been awful for years now.

OU hasn’t scored a touchdown in the RRSO in 3 years now. This vaunted defense made Arch Manning look like a Heisman candidate.

Blegh.
October 11, 2025 at 11:26 PM
Pickup truck drivers in Texas are unwell
October 11, 2025 at 12:36 AM
Reposted by Kelton Halbert
#Shutdown Sammy day 2 of ?? She was excited while I was cooking fajitas. Im not excited about the continuing lapse of appropriations.
October 3, 2025 at 12:23 AM
I’m going to join @twisterkid34.bsky.social in posting shutdown puppies.

Here’s Shutdown Meira.
October 1, 2025 at 4:32 AM
Nailed both upsets!!
September 28, 2025 at 3:16 AM
Reposted by Kelton Halbert
This USC Illinois game feels very much like Bret Bielema painting a tunnel entrance on a brick wall and Lincoln Riley driving headlong into it
September 27, 2025 at 4:29 PM
Reposted by Kelton Halbert
Southern Cal blew up the pac-12 so they could lose to Illinois at 9am pacific time
September 27, 2025 at 7:52 PM
Bowled next to R Mason Thomas today. I’m pretty sure he could use me as a bowling ball, one handed.
September 27, 2025 at 12:32 AM
Critical fire-weather concerns exist across portions of the North Cascades into the Columbia basin.

25 MPH winds (gusting to 35) and widespread RH < 15% will overlap with receptive fuels and ongoing wildfires.

www.stormscale.io/spc/fire/day1
September 25, 2025 at 3:06 PM
Reposted by Kelton Halbert
This may be the first joint convective outlook done by two Science and Support Branch meteorologists who had not previously spent time as a full-time SPC forecaster.
Today’s convective outlook brought to you entirely by the Storm Prediction Center Science Support Branch!

@pmarshwx.com with the convective outlook discussion, and yours truly with the general thunder lines.
September 25, 2025 at 7:27 AM