Background
Ironically, in 2005, around the same time I discovered my perfect pitch ability (as I talked about in my first article), I also developed a special interest that I still have to this day (18 long years! The age people graduate from high school). This special interest is the weather, especially tracking patterns and learning what causes them.
When you factor in the perfect pitch discovery and the prolonged weather interest, little did I realize until I got older that the mid-2000s (preteen and early teens) was a crucial stage of my life for discovering things about myself and developing new skills.
My Interest Development: Have I Considered Weather as a Career Path?
A few of 2005’s extreme weather events, such as Hurricane Katrina, a November tornado in Hamilton, Ont., and several intense storms and temperature events, sparked a fire in me.
I still don’t know what exactly caught my interest, but like any child, the ways the world works did and still intrigue me. As Autistic people often have obsessive interests, it comes as no surprise that I would eventually develop one on weather when unusual stuff took place.
You’re probably thinking this inspired me to want to become a meteorologist, and you are correct. However, this didn’t work out for me.
I initially went to college for General Arts and Science in Oakville, Ont. (my hometown and current residence) from 2011 to 2013 because I wanted to be qualified to go to University in Toronto to become a meteorologist. However, I was too naïve at the time to realize that I needed to take academic level courses in high school to get into meteorology (academic would’ve been way too challenging for a person like me with the type of difficulties I had growing up).
A brief miracle, that also didn’t go as I wished, was in 2014 when I briefly attended another college in Ontario that offers meteorology as part of its curriculum. Though initially excited about this milestone, I learned that college math and some sciences were unbearably difficult for me, despite the fact that I got good grades in these areas in high school.
I dropped out of the college after two months because I was failing a good part of the program and moved back home. After I struggled to figure myself out while I worked in non-field positions, I discovered that my love for writing and weather can still work if I plan to become a journalist.
I returned to Sheridan from 2017 to 2019 and learned numerous skills that helped me write my blogs and articles for my ASD Today site, past writing positions and freelancing situations.
I’ve been wanting to write weather for others for years but haven’t had any luck in landing opportunities yet. However, this has not stopped me from writing about weather on a regular basis on social media.
Social Media Posts: Wednesday Weather Updates, Weekend Monthly Outlooks, and Monthly Summaries
Just a couple of weeks after I dropped out of the 2014 program, I decided to start a series on Facebook called Wednesday Weather Updates.
Every week since November 2014 (some weeks if I was too busy or unwell on Wednesday, I would switch the updates to Tuesday or Thursday), I have posted updates summarizing the past week’s weather in the Toronto area using graphs I create on Canvas, what weather sources predict may happen, and what models on TropicalTidbits suggest what could take place weeks ahead. In addition, I talk about Atlantic and Pacific storms during hurricane season. I appropriately source my findings in these posts, which is great practice as a journalist.
I also release monthly outlooks across North America, usually on the last Saturday of each month. These outlooks are my interpretations of model outlooks and analog years. For example, because we are in an El Nino this year, I look at years that also had El Nino for guidance on what may happen (and use NOAA’s monthly composite map tool). Teleconnections, which I talk about in an article I published in 2019, are also important to track.
With the monthly summaries, I look at data from Environment Canada and compare them to long-term normals. For instance, the data shows that Hamilton Airport only received 25.9 millimeters of rain in September 2023 compared to the normal of 81.9 millimeters for September (as shown in the long-term normal page).
I note temperature and precipitation monthly departures from normal, how long has it been since we’ve had a warmer/colder/drier/rainier/snowier *insert month*, daily extremes, daily records and even how stubborn a setup is compared to past years to offer perspective on how unusual (or ordinary) the weather during the month was. Like the WWUs and monthly outlooks, I reference where necessary.
What Else Has This Special Interest Done for Me?
At one point in early 2014, after I struggled significantly with my social life, I, by chance, found a good way to network online.
I would comment on Accuweather posts via Facebook to share my insights on the weather. 2013-14 was a brutally cold winter in my area, which ensured that many of us warm weather fans would find a good way to bond to vent our frustrations with the pattern.
Over time, many of these people would add me on Facebook and contribute to my social media posts. Many of them still do today.
As someone who struggled to make face-to-face connections during my elementary and high school years, this has meant a lot to me.
What Are Some Examples of Extreme Weather My Region Has Seen in 2023?
More rain than snow in Winter 2022-23 because of a lack of cold
Spring in mid-February
March thundersnow
Summer in April
Series of wildfires (most significant)
Fourth of July Hamilton tornado
Lack of real summer in August
Intense early September heat
Summer’s last hurrah in October
Conclusion
My adventure with weather tracking has been, for the most part, super eventful. I’ve not only had opportunities to write about and network with a topic that has come naturally to me, it’s also helped me improve my critical thinking skills, analytical skills, organizational skills and much more.
Learning about and tracking weather has been useful to my personal development in many ways.
I feel it’s important that people on the spectrum find their strongest passions and use them as special interests. When you frequently are your authentic self with your interests, you’ll find that it’s easy to perform related tasks well and to develop socially by connecting with people who have these interests.
Cory Morrison is a 30-year-old and long-time Greater Toronto Area resident. He is a college journalism graduate who has intense interests in writing,
weather, music, motivational quotes and autism advocacy.
His website and social media profiles are listed below:
My website: www.asdtoday.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CoryBradleyDennisMorrison/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/corybdmorrison93/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/corymorrison93?lang=en
LinkedIn: https://ca.linkedin.com/in/cory-morrison-8ba0b2182
