Featured Meteorologist Amber Sullins
Amber is a 5 time Emmy Award Winning ABC15 Chief Meteorologist and a Phoenix native
Amber is Chief Meteorologist for ABC15 News having joined them in September 2015. You can read Amber's full bio here.
Amber can also be found on Social Media at the following links:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AmberSullinsABC15/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/amber.sullins/
Threads: https://www.threads.net/@amber.sullins
What was your most memorable weather event?
Two major events are forever burned in my memory. Both happened during monsoon season in the Desert Southwest.
The first event was coined “Storm 2006”. There were even t-shirts made with the words, “I survived Storm 2006.” It was August 1st and I was working on the morning show, “Good Morning, El Paso.” An inverted trough was sitting to the south over Mexico, working with our monsoon moisture to form storms across west Texas.
During the show, I noticed that storms were regenerating over the Franklin Mountains and training south into El Paso. By the time our “Good Morning America” cut-ins were done, conditions were getting really bad and we all knew we had to stay on the air indefinitely. Rain was pouring down the mountain, flooding everything in its path. Cars and trucks were getting washed away, buildings were destroyed as they sank into arroyos and gravesites were sinking deep enough to disappear at the local cemetery. I-10 was shut down and residents near the Rio Grande had to evacuate as the river reached its highest level since 1912.
By that afternoon, a state of emergency was declared and soldiers from Fort Bliss were doing rescues by helicopter. This was my first experience with wall-to-wall weather coverage and it ended up being the biggest storm in El Paso history. And it wasn’t just that one day. It continued to rain for the next week with parts of El Paso getting over 15 inches of rain, nearly twice as much as normal for an entire year!
You can view the photos of "Storm 2006" here or watch some video by a KVIA reporter
The second was another big monsoon flood event in Phoenix. On September 8th, 2014 remnants of Hurricane Norbert came up into Arizona, mixing with our monsoon moisture and leading to widespread, drenching storms.
Some Valley neighborhoods got over 6 inches of rain! Normal for an entire year is between 7 and 8 inches. The official rain gauge at Phoenix Sky Harbor received 3.30 inches, marking the single wettest day on record. I-10 was completely flooded out as pumps failed to keep up that morning. Water raced down the south side of South Mountain, flooding my church. At home, I woke up to my pool overflowing with water rushing toward the back door and water pouring into my dining room from a leak in the roof. And, of course, I needed to get to work as soon as possible to help cover the storm!
When the weather hits home like that, it’s something you’ll never forget.
What is your favorite and least favorite type of weather?
I love the sweet spot. Not too hot, not too cold, not too windy, not too cloudy. Just right. Goldilocks.
I also love a rainy day in Phoenix after a long dry spell. The desert has a certain distinguishing smell after the rain. It’s the creosote. It’s unforgettable.
If you weren't a meteorologist, what would you most like to be?
I would love to play in an orchestra and record soundtracks for movies. Disney, call me.
From a purely meteorological point of view, where would you most like to live?
San Diego, CA. The weather is perfect most of the year. That’s where we “zonies” (Arizonans) go to cool off.
Is there anything else you'd like to share?
I love being a meteorologist in my hometown. Forecasting in Arizona is unlike anywhere else. There are so many different microclimates to figure out. It’s like putting together a puzzle each day. Over the last decade, though, my job has expanded from just covering the weather to also covering how it’s changing due to urbanization and climate change.
Phoenix was already one of the hottest cities in the world and it keeps getting hotter. Prior to the 1980s, overnight temperatures still dropped into the 70s or low 80s even on our hottest days. Now, we’ve had over 100 nights in the 90s in the past 5 years! That’s mostly due to the urban heat island effect as our buildings and concrete trap heat overnight. Daytime temperatures are trending hotter too because of increased greenhouse gas emissions. Phoenix just set a new record of 55 days at 110 degrees or hotter last summer and we are just days away from breaking that record this summer.
From extreme heat and increased wildfire danger to dwindling water supplies, as a meteorologist in Arizona I must cover it all. It’s my biggest challenge and my greatest opportunity to have this platform at ABC15 to be able to educate and inform viewers about the weather and climate of Arizona.
If you are interested in being a Featured Meteorologist on StormHour, please contact mark @ stormhour.com or via DM on Twitter.
