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Richard Scott, Chief Meteorologist at WVUA and Linden native, held a weather talk presentation at the Demopolis Public Library last Wednesday, June 28. Scott’s presentation was part of the library’s Summer Reading Program.

Scott began his career as a meteorologist in 2006 at WVUA23. Richard has covered numerous tornado events, including the historic and deadly tornado outbreak of April 27, 2011 and the historic tornado outbreak of April 28, 2014. Alabama experiences its share of winter weather, and Richard has covered a wide range of winter events from flurries to significant impact winter storms.

Scott spoke before a decent sized crowd at the library and provided interesting information on weather in Alabama and allowed the audience to help him with visual demonstrations. He spoke on topics such as evaporation, tornados, hurricanes, weather satellites, and the water cycle.

His presentation also included talks on the 2011 tornado outbreaks in Tuscaloosa and the heavy snowfall in Marengo County in 1993. Scott said that he was 24-years-old when the Tuscaloosa tornadoes destroyed a portion of the city. The tornado was a mile and a half wide with 190 mph winds. Scott used the topic to demonstrate how dangerous tornado winds are and how they can turn mundane objects into deadly debris.

Scott also discussed the different levels of tornadoes, the wind speeds they generate, and much damage they can do to homes and properties. EF0 and EF1 tornadoes are weak and often do not produce much, if any, damage and can reach speeds of about 60-110 mph. EF2 and EF3 tornadoes are classified as “strong” and can reach speeds of 111-165 mph. EF4 and EF5 tornadoes are classified as “violent” storms and can reach speeds of 166-200 mph.

The safest place to be during a tornado is in an interior space with no windows or doors. People who live in mobile homes are often encouraged to evacuate as mobile homes can be easily lifted from their foundations and flipped upside down.

Scott ended his presentation with a Q-and-A portion and by taking a video of the crowd to share on Facebook.

Other upcoming library activities for July include Kids Story Time every Wednesday morning at 10:00 a.m, Tea Cup painting on July 6, a drum circle on July 13, and a Hexbug Maze activity on July 20.