CHESTERFIELD, Mo. – Storms rolled across the metro this afternoon, bringing strong wind gusts, some hail and heavy rain. 

These came as broadcast meteorologists from the region attended a workshop hosted by the National Weather Service.

Outside the skies were charcoal gray, while inside the workshop local meteorologists gathered as a palette of vibrant colors represented the severe weather experienced this spring.

“It’s been an active spring. These meetings are crucial to get everyone on the same sheet of music,” said Kevin Deitsch, the Warning Coordination meteorologist at the National Weather Service in St. Louis.

This seminar provides a deep dive into the latest research when it comes to threatening storms and gives us a look inside the analyses done by the meteorologists at the national weather service during severe weather.

“What this event is about is bringing the whole weather enterprise together. A lot of people see the TV side, which is fantastic. But there’s a lot of behind-the-scenes work too that goes on in the weather world,” Deitsch said. “You know, where those warnings come from and making those decisions. It brings you all into the loop on that. So we just have a better partnership and overall it affects and helps public safety.”

A wide variety of topics were discussed.

“Flash flooding. The big event we had was back in November. Severe weather, so some of the tornadoes we had over the last month or so. And then we’ll also be talking some fire weather later on today, too. Really kind of all the things we see in spring. Some of the latest science and how to communicate that,” he said.