Doug Heady
chief meteorologist
koam-tv | joplin, mo
Doug is originally from Kansas City, Missouri and started with the morning weather at KSHB. In December 2002, the University of Kansas alum took over as the KOAM Chief Meteorologist. Doug was the youngest person certified by American Meteorological Society (AMS). He was certified by the National Weather Association in 2003 and is now a Certified Broadcast Meteorologist, which replaced the AMS.
The Heady Pattern
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The Heady Pattern was discovered back in the winter of 1998 and 1999 in Lawrence, KS. Doug noticed several systems that reacted and looked very similar over the course of the winter and spring. As the the next few years progressed, he realized that he could pick out this signature of big storm systems through the winter and spring months. As Doug continued to do research, it wasn't just the signature storm systems, it was every single storm system that rolled through the area. Over the course of the past 20 years, Doug used his experience to refine details of the Heady Pattern.
A unique pattern sets up each and every fall around September 20th. This pattern isn't just in the central plains, lower 48 states or even Northern Hemisphere. This pattern is world wide and refers to how storm systems react. If one area has very active weather in the fall and winter, they will continue to have the active weather in the spring and into the fall. There is a recurring cycle length within the pattern. Cycles as short as 42 days and as long as 65 days have been noticed. Usually in a La Niña or El Niño, we will have a cycle length in the range of 45-53 days. However, neutral years are usually in the 53 -65 day range. This means the same storm systems will repeat in the exact same location on that current year's cycle length.
The Southern Hemisphere also has a unique pattern that sets up each and every March. The Northern Hemisphere and Southern Hemisphere have not matched in cycle length yet during Heady Pattern years; this would be a rare situation. The Heady Pattern includes a unique and one of a kind model that can find the next year's cycle length prior to the new pattern even beginning. This gives WEATHERSavants the forecasting edge to long-range worldwide forecasting 12 months of the year and puts us well above the competition. The Heady Pattern has expanded over the past 20 plus years to be able to forecast winter storms, flooding, droughts, severe weather events, tornadoes, tropical storms and hurricanes.
