Three Bullitt East teachers track winter weather forecasts to predict the likelihood of snow days.
The self-proclaimed Amateur Meteorologist Association bands together using websites, a group chat, and district insights to forecast not only the weather, but school closure possibilities as well.
What started as a love for snow turned into an informal forecasting group among Bullitt East teachers. This enthusiasm eventually evolved into what they jokingly call the Amateur Meteorologist Association.
“We just know we love snow — like snow days and the anticipation of it, really, weather in general,” Carrie Gary said.
Their teaching experience and growing friendship led to the creation of a group chat where they debate winter weather theories and probabilities.
“Well, it’s not official. It’s just something we do for fun. Just something to get excited about,” Brandi Molter said.
Only officially a year old, the three make no claims of complete accuracy, but the group considers Akridge to be the most accurate, sometimes predicting forecasts ahead of professional meteorologists.
“I read a lot of weather blogs. I like to use a lot of different charts like weather.gov, there’s a snow day calculator that I like using too,” Sarah Akridge said.
Her secret to a guaranteed snow day is to do everything to get ready for school, like take a shower, get dressed, and even make your lunch, or else it will be jinxed.
“We all follow the same exact people, but we still screenshot it and send it to each other, like, ‘What do you think?'” Gary said.
Each teacher has a go-to website. Molter’s is kentuckyweathercenter.com, Gary’s relies on weather.gov, and Akridge prefers wunderground.com. This multitude of sources helps them narrow forecasts to a small probability range.
“…We don’t text before 5 a.m. because you know that you hear your phone ring and think, ‘Oh, that’s it,’ and then it ends up being a group chat,” Molter said.
An unspoken rule formed to make sure no false alarms of a snow day occurred. Molter herself has a few other traditions that include inside-out pajamas, ice in the toilet, a spoon under your pillow and a white crayon in the freezer.
“I love it. It’s like one of those perks of working with awesome people… you have a group text,” Gary said.
As winter storms approach, the group chat continues to buzz with forecasts, traditions, and the hope of a delayed bell.
