need accurate weather reports? ask Robert Rizzo
from AntBlog701

need accurate weather reports? ask Robert Rizzo

We all know we can't trust the official weather report, but there's someone we can trust - Robert Rizzo, a Koonung secondary student.
(Koonung is in Victoria, Australia.)

News.com.au has a report on this, Rain or hail, Robert shines

Rain or hail, Robert shines By Jeremy Calvert, education reporter May 17, 2004

MOVE over Nostradamus, and forget a comeback Rob Gell, a Koonung secondary student has you both covered.

Robert Rizzo, 18, is a meteorological magician, whose predictions had proved so accurate his school shuns official forecasts when planning outdoor activities, relying instead on its in-house guru.

Robert admitted he had an "unbelievable obsession" with all things weather related - particularly thunderstorms.

His scientific knowledge came from his complex computer-linked backyard weather station - and the dedication that got him up at dawn to observe conditions and fastidiously record the details.

But Robert had an additional edge, a sixth-sense that gave him the ability to pick freak weather events.

"I don't know what it is, but I feel this rush before a thunderstorm," he said.
In December last year Robert accurately predicted the once-in-a-century storms that devastated the eastern suburbs, something even the experts failed to pick.

"The night before, I saw an amazing purple sky, a colour I had never seen before. I thought, 'what's going to happen here?' The next day I warned the library about a storm that would come in the night. It actually cost us about $6000," he said.

Staff at Koonung, in Mont Albert, had been bowled over by Robert's unerring forecasts, which often contradict the official outlook.

When planning their athletics carnival, the physical education teacher turned a blind eye to official forecasts of clear weather and consulted Robert.
"Robert informed him that it was going to be a shocker," said fellow teacher Jonathon Moore. The carnival was postponed and held in stunning conditions on the day Robert advised and, true to his prediction, the original scheduled day was abysmal.

"He really is amazing," Mr Moore said.
Robert had accumulated his depth of knowledge over a mere two years. He could pick the exact moment when his love affair with thunderstorms began - while watching a cricket match at the MCG.

"I was sitting watching Shaun Pollock hit plenty of sixes when I saw a flash out of the corner of my eye.

I started watching the sky and the lightning and was just captivated, and I have been watching it ever since."

And, while Robert can't imagine pursuing any other career than one in forecasting, he does not think he will go quite as far as becoming a tornado chaser.

"But I do tend to get up on the roof sometimes when thunderstorms are about, while mum yells at me to get down. It gives her a heart attack," he said.