When Chief Climatological Officer Neil Armstrong wrote to Director of the Department of Meteorology Trevor Basden and Deputy Director Basil Dean on February 15, 2017, he expressed concerns that the department was not properly prepared to observe severe weather.
Armstrong's concerns came to mind yesterday after a tornado touched down in the early hours at Lynden Pindling International Airport (LPIA), damaging a $20 million Bahamasair plane, vehicles and equipment.
The freaky weather also damaged at least one home -- that of Deputy Prime Minister Philip Brave Davis -- who lives a short drive from the airport and is the minister responsible for Bahamasair.
Davis told reporters: "It was like a big train just running into my home and it was just one loud bang, and I just wondered what it was, and it occurred to me that it must have been something like a twister."
No severe weather warning was issued, leaving some people to question whether the Department of Meteorology dropped the ball once again and whether it can be trusted to keep us informed about approaching severe weather.
In his February letter to his superiors, Armstrong wrote: "... Although located next to the elevator room and a conveyor belt, the new sound proofing appears effective to a fault.
"In the event of a thunderstorm, it is impossible to detect by auditory instinct, and this is a major part of observing severe weather."
Armstrong also wrote: "The surveillance of the sky by the cameras provided is futile from dusk to dawn, due to no apparent night vision/infrared abilities and glare from ramp floodlights.
"The cameras, especially the rotating unit, should have been mounted above the ramp lighting.
"Also the monitor display of the camera feed is two dimensional and it is virtually impossible to determine distance, depth and height of meteorological phenomena."
Armstrong also advised his superiors that there "is now increased risk as staff have to observe from an area which they access by crossing two traffic lanes utilized by standard vehicles and aircraft ground support equipment, some of which have poor level visibility from the control section and do not stop easily".
Writing back to Armstrong on March 2 about his concerns on the new weather forecast office at LPIA, Dean said, "The [observances] of meteorological observers are not made through windows, but rather by observers physically going outside and observing weather conditions at and around the station."
He said the National Hurricane Center and the National Weather Service have no windows.
Dean also advised Armstrong that the substantial investment in a new Doppler weather radar, state-of-the-art Airport Weather Observing Systems and a low level wind shear detection system at LPIA, and their imminent implementation, would eliminate most of the points he raised.
"Be reminded that you are a chief climatological officer, i.e. a senior officer in this department," he continued.
"To conclude, on the way forward, should you have any alternative feasible method(s) that can be implemented, which will bring resolution much sooner, kindly provide and present the location, costing and logistics to the director for consideration and refrain from making complaints only."
Their exchange provides some insight into operations at the Department of Meteorology, which has come under fire in the past.
In 2015, National Review revealed that at the time of Hurricane Joaquin, critical equipment was not functional for the entire period as the storm passed over the chain of Bahamian islands, including the Doppler radar.
The revelation sparked a firestorm and vehement denials from Aviation Minister Glenys Hanna-Martin and senior officials in the department.
But the reporting was backed by critical information from meteorologists and forecasters as reported in the department's log book.
In 2010, the department also faced controversy over the reported lack of proper warnings when three employees of the Grand Bahama Shipyard were killed when a tornado landed.
Thankfully, there was no loss of life or reported injuries as a result of the weather system that hit New Providence early yesterday.
Still, questions persist over the lack of a severe weather warning.
On March 1, 2017, Dean, writing to forecast staff, advised that the Doppler radar was being powered down.
"The erection of the new Doppler weather radar tower at Lynden Pindling International Airport has commenced, and due to its close proximity to the old radar tower, the radar will remain powered down to protect workers from radiation emitted when the radar is powered up," he wrote.
"This protective measure will remain in force until the new Doppler weather radar is commissioned.
"Therefore, forecasters are asked to make use of the Miami, Key West and Cuba radar networks for coverage of those parts of The Bahamas which are within the respective radar range."

Not necessary
Dean told National Review there was no need for such a warning yesterday or Monday.
"It was not a widespread situation that would have warranted a severe thunderstorm warning," he said.
He noted that a severe thunderstorm warning takes place when severe thunderstorms are actually happening.
"We did not have a severe thunderstorm in the vicinity. However, we did have cumulonimbus clouds, which are clouds capable of spawning tornados."
Dean added: "Based on our analysis last night, we did not capture anything that would point to a severe thunderstorm warning.
"However, thunderstorms were forecast to take place. Not all thunderstorms develop tornados."
We asked Dean when the department issues severe weather warnings. He explained, "Severe weather warnings are issued whenever severe thunderstorms are detected via radar or satellite pictures.
"We did not have any severe thunderstorm signature being picked up. Nevertheless, we did have a cell that could have developed very rapidly overhead, and if that being the case, you would not have been able to pick that up in advance."
Dean also confirmed that the lightning detector is "not working".
It has been disassembled as the department is in the process of installing a new Doppler radar at LPIA.
As a result, the lightning detector network had to be removed and will be relocated on Gladstone Road, he advised.
Weather observers are mandated to make observations every hour for aeronautical purposes, he noted, adding that observations are always made on the outside.
While Dean said in The Bahamas there was no need for any tornado or severe weather warnings ahead of yesterday's twister, there were such warnings in Florida.
But Basden explained that, that did not point to the need for similar warnings for any area in The Bahamas.
Hanna-Martin is likely to address these latest issues when she attends a press conference this morning to update the media on the progress of the LPIA Doppler radar installation -- part of a $20 million investment in new radars for the country.

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