Storms, tornadoes, flooding: See how KC’s National Weather Service watches for it all

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There’s a giant Doppler radar ball on Highway 7 in Pleasant Hill, Missouri. It’s tuned to see precipitation, not aircraft.

The Kansas City National Weather Service uses it and plenty of other devices that measure, gauge, report and crank out data in the statements and warnings they send to the 2.7 million people living in this particular region.

It’s an area that extends from northeast Kansas all the way to Kirksville, Missouri, and south to the edge of the Ozark Plateau .

Most of us only come into contact with the NWS when our phone beeps out a warning or a big red banner pops up during our favorite TV show.

But who is out there 24/7 in Pleasant Hill, getting up early, staying up late and crunching numbers like only real math fans would choose to do?

On Friday, April 24, the start of a weekend that seemed laden with potentially dangerous storms , we knocked on their door. (Actually we called first.)

During a late morning lull between heavy rains that spawned a few flood warnings, and the gradual buildup of a system that carried true tornadic potential, they invited us in.

We saw lots of focused gazes, an array of dazzling graphics and just a tad of the “controlled chaos” that the job requires. We even peeked into the “bunker” where meteorologists can take shelter if necessary, while another office temporarily takes the reins..

When the time came for the crew to scrutinize three counties in northwest Missouri for signs of severe weather, our tour was quickly curtailed. What they refer to as a “weather event” requires a minimum of distractions.

Still, as meteorologist Brett Williams explained, “Most of the people here, we we live for this. Probably the most gratifying thing for a meteorologist is to to be in the situation where you’re able to provide useful warnings to people so that they can take the proper precautions and and protect themselves.”

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