Promoting weather justice as a consulting meteorologist since 2017

Matthew J. Bunkers, Ph.D.
Certified Consulting Meteorologist
Email: nrnplnsweather@gmail.com
Phone: 605.390.7243 (mobile)
Contact Northern Plains Weather
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Have a case where weather may be a factor?

  • I believe that my clients deserve to have accurate and reliable weather information.
  • As a certified consulting meteorologist and weather expert, I have a passion for meteorology, solving problems, and helping others (additional information here).
  • I have over 30 years of weather analysis and forecasting experience, with over seven years as a certified consulting meteorologist.
  • Specialties include: forensic meteorology, slip and falls, heavy rain and flooding, high winds, fog, severe storms, hail, tornadoes, winter weather, heavy snow, icing, fire weather, weather-related accidents, agriculture weather, lightning verification, radar, and satellite.
  • I have been retained and/or used as a consultant for 100+ cases since 2017 (see below for recent case experience).

Location:

Based out of Rapid City, South Dakota, I provide consulting services across the United States. Clients have been from Arizona, California, Colorado, Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, and Wyoming. This has additionally included weather cases in Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, and Oklahoma.

CV and Fee Schedule:

Available upon request. I have a negotiable 3- or 4-h retainer (depending on the case/location), and bill in 5-min increments. The initial consultations prior to being retained are free.

Retaining Matt Bunkers as a Consulting Meteorologist/Weather Expert:

To inquire about retaining me, either call (605.390.7243), email (nrnplnsweather@gmail.com), or contact me here.

Recent Case Experience as a Consulting Meteorologist/Weather Expert:

  • As a Certified Consulting Meteorologist (CCM) and weather expert, I have worked on a variety of cases, including the following below (also see Past Cases & Testimonials):
    1. analyses of tornado/hail/wind (including derecho) damage to businesses, crops, people, farm property (e.g., barns, grain bins, and irrigation systems), and housing units for insurance-related claims/lawsuits,
    2. slip and falls related to snowfall, icing, refreezing, and freezing drizzle,
    3. climate-, severe-, and winter-weather analyses for a mining operation, preventative planting insurance claim, crop spraying, livestock operations, and construction delays due to adverse weather days,
    4. rainfall recurrence interval analyses for flooding of homes and flash-flood related damages to businesses and trains/railroad tracks,
    5. snowfall and rainfall analyses for insurance protection claims for recreational events,
    6. cloud cover, moonlight, rainfall, fog, icing, snow, and wind analyses for automobile and semi-truck accidents,
    7. windstorm, drought, lightning, and satellite analyses for wildfires and dust storms,
    8. fire-weather observations and research papers for a fellow consulting meteorologist,
    9. presentations on flash flooding, storm observing, photography, and safety,
    10. an air-quality and weather-related assessment,
    11. a technical review of a weather book,
    12. a general radar/hail project, and
    13. consulting advice for a colleague.

Other Relevant Experience:

  • I assisted the United States Air Force and Forest Service by providing meteorological data and interpretation for an investigation of a C-130 crash that occurred while fighting a wildfire during August 2012.
  • I was part of the Service Assessment team for the Rogers, Minnesota, F2 tornado that occurred on 16 September 2006.
  • Prior to becoming a CCM, I served the South Dakota legal system on 27 June 2005 by providing expert weather testimony for a homicide case.
  • I have reviewed well over 100 papers for professional journals, and was recognized for this service by the American Meteorological Society (AMS) Editor’s Award in 2004 for Weather and Forecasting. In addition, I was the keynote speaker for three conferences, a guest/invited speaker for 25 various events, and a presenter for at least 17 other local to national conferences, webinars, and/or workshops.
  • Consulting Services Provided.

This is a picture of a thunderstorm's wall cloud with a lightning bolt in Meade County, South Dakota, on 24 May 2020. Severe storms are a major part of my duties as a consulting meteorologist.

Introduction | Services | Qualifications | Past Cases | About | Documents