A passion born in elementary school, when the grandfather, for his breeding in Ciriè, started observing the weather to improve management. As Andrea Vuolowhich a Cirie was born in 1991, he began to become familiar with clouds and precipitation from a very young age. From the grandfather Gian Giacomo, of Bergamo origin, inherited the passion for the weather and that for Atalanta (“his grandfather was the namesake of Valter Bonacina”, the historic midfielder of the Dea). And while he celebrates his team’s first international trophy, Andrea is busy with Piedmont weather forecast, quite lively lately. An area in which, also thanks to its collaboration with Rai which has been ongoing since 2020, it has become a point of reference in the region.
Let’s start from the beginning. What did your grandfather do?
«It monitored temperature, humidity and wind. I spent a lot of time with him and I started to get passionate about these measurements. So, in middle school, I bought my first tools and read my first self-taught books. In 2010 I graduated from Grassi as an aeronautical expert, where today I also teach. To become a professional meteorologist, as Colonel Giuliacci advised me at a meeting, I graduated in physics with a specialization in atmospheric physics. I worked in Bergamo for 3B Meteo before arriving at Rai”.
You mentioned Giuliacci, what points of reference did you have?
«First of all my grandfather, then Giuliacci and also Luca Mercalli. So Epson Meteo on Mediaset (and mentions Flavio Galbiati, ed.), the first reality that brought the non-military meteorologist to TV. I followed Guido Caroselli a lot on “Che tempo fa”. First there was only the Air Force, then civil meteorology also grew and the regional ARPA took over.”
Now there are also social networks, she has a very popular Facebook page and a Telegram channel. How did he do it?
«Unconsciously and involuntarily I have created a sort of community where people who are not necessarily passionate about meteorology gather, in a dynamic of daily exchange of information. Over the years, sensitivity on the topic has grown and people have found a reference because behind the social media page there is a person who responds, who they see on TV or hear on the radio. Sometimes they stop me on the street and I’m pleased, you can see that I’ve conveyed my passion.”
Besides meteorology, what other passions do you have?
«I read many scientific books, but my great passions are football and Atalanta. I also follow cycling a lot and, by the way, in the Giro d’Italia the cyclists were quite lucky in Piedmont. I love going to snowy areas and I like the Mondovì area, where I have friends.”
In addition to forecasts, you disseminate. What response do you get?
«Behind the forecasts there are many hours of study, especially if we are talking about disturbances in a very complex territory like the Italian one, due to geographical and orographic issues. People have understood that the prediction made by an app, in many cases, comes from an algorithm. A person who explains why, even admitting mistakes, gives a different effect. I’m trying to do a little teaching to explain why, if a storm is announced in Turin, it rains in Falchera and it doesn’t in Santa Rita. I do the weather forecast and I didn’t invent any job, I earned it by sweating over books. I like providing scientific information and I consider myself lucky to do the job I studied for.”
Has popularity on social media ever caused you problems?
«Years ago, the manager of a page passed himself off as me, but it was enough to see the type of language and the writing style to understand that it wasn’t me. The problem was that he issued weather warnings with my signature, but the only body that has the task of issuing a weather warning is Arpa. Unfortunately, social media mythomaniacs are many and in all fields.”
Do you have plans?
«I have a little secret dream: to create a weather center in the north west, which unites Piedmont, Valle d’Aosta and Liguria. Unfortunately, in meteorology there is a lot of rivalry, but a company could be created to make operational weather forecasts, research, dissemination in the broad sense, provide professional meteorological services for highways, agriculture, renewable energy. For a research body that remains in the media sphere, it is important to remain in contact with the public.”
Should science communicate more?
«It often remains technical, but meteorology is a science that has incredible socio-economic impacts and there are many meteorologists with great passion. As a job, the meteorologist is not regulated by a register and although Italy is very at risk, meteorology in this sense is still behind. We would need a professional body to set some boundaries, because tomorrow anyone can open a social media page and launch predictions. Many companies live off advertising and profit from clicks on sites and apps, trampling on good information and science.”
Let’s talk about the climate, what happened in Piedmont?
«Giuliacci and Mercalli were already talking about climate change at the beginning of the 2000s. Over the past four or five years, the northwestern corner of Italy has warmed and is changing the distribution of precipitation throughout the year. The rains, with a slight increase, became very intense in short intervals, and were then followed by long dry periods. The atmosphere is warmer and this causes an increase in water vapor. The last quarter could be the snowiest in a decade, coming on the heels of the warmest winter in years. The climate of the north is becoming more similar to those of the subtropics, because the latitude of these areas is increasing.”
Is there still denialism?
«I think it is a problem of school ignorance because environmental education is not taught and, above all, many do not know the difference between meteorology and climatology. It is not a single event that makes us talk about climate change. And then, vice versa, we must not fall into the trap: thinking that every single event is linked to climate change. Extreme phenomena have increased in all seasons and in recent years there have been no cold waves, but that doesn’t mean they won’t arrive.”
