Qualifications

1964-2001 – For 37 years, served in the Met Office – the state weather service and a government agency within the MoD.
1990-2001 – Was the Met Office’s forensic Meteorologist in Scotland for the 11-year period.
1984 – Became manager of Scottish rainfall section.
1973 – Promotion to Higher Scientific Officer (airfield forecaster/Met Office manager)
1968 – Promotion to Assistant Experimental Officer (assistant forecaster).

Career History

Dec 2001 – Became self-employed, part-time meteorologist working from home.
Sept 2001 – Retired from the Met Office after 37 years.
1990-2001 – Based in Edinburgh and latterly Glasgow, was the Met Office’s forensic meteorologist for Scotland, including for a time, Northern England. Prepared several hundred certified statements of weather conditions. As Expert Witness, attended Courts in Edinburgh, Glasgow, Airdrie, Ayr, Dumbarton, Dumfries, Dunfermline, Falkirk, Greenock, Fort William, Hamilton, Inverness, Stornoway, Carlisle and Newcastle.
During this period prepared certified meteorological reports in connection with:

• Compensation claims after the Braer oil-tanker disaster.
• A number of very high-profile criminal cases
• The inquiry into the death of a young boy in a helicopter crash in heavy rain at a function at Glamis Castle.
• Countless RTA, pedestrian, and building-site accidents caused by ice, snow, strong winds and rainfall.

In addition to producing reports for the legal, insurance and civil engineering communities, also prepared many of the monthly Scottish weather articles appearing in The Scotsman newspaper and gave telephone interviews to the media during spells of newsworthy weather.
For a large civil engineering company, carried out a fog study and prepared a report for a proposed bypass in Scotland.

1978-90 - Worked in the Met Office's Scottish climatology branch at Edinburgh and for 12 years specialised in the quality-control of rainfall and snowfall recordings from around 1000 rainfall stations in Scotland. Part of the job involved the inspection of weather stations located throughout the country, liaising with co-operating organisations interested in rainfall data and advising them on the siting and installation of meteorological instruments. Liaised with all the Scottish Regional Council water and drainage authorities, SEPA,
Scottish Power, Scottish Hydro Electric and the Forestry Commission.
Co-ordinated the urgent acquisition and quality control of Scottish rainfall data following the Chernobyl nuclear disaster.

1968-77 - Following completion at the Met Office College of the full-time,
residential Initial and Advanced Forecasting Courses in 1968 and 1973, and passing the appropriate examinations and probationary periods on duty at civil and military airfields in Scotland, served as aviation forecaster. Most of the period was spent at Prestwick and Glasgow Airports, with detachments to Pitreavie, RAF Leuchars and Kinloss and Edinburgh Airport. Also took part in two nuclear fallout exercises.
Briefed civil and military aircrews, including those of British Airways, Pan am, KLM, Air Canada, Concorde/jumbo jet training, the RAF, including Royal Flights, and the American and Canadian air forces.

1964 - After education to Scottish Highers level at Morgan Academy, Dundee, joined the Meteorological Office at the age of 18. In October, posted to its headquarters in Bracknell, Berkshire, as Scientific Assistant.