‘Weather Nerd’ Attracts Attention After Predicting Katrina Disaster
SOUTH BEND, Ind.
A University of Notre Dame student whose Web site is drawing thousands of hits following his correct prediction of Hurricane Katrina’s devastating impact says he isn’t a clairvoyant — he just paid attention to computer models of the storm.
Brendan Loy, a self-described “weather nerd,” was interviewed by the New York Times this week about his Web site — www.irishtrojan.com — which is attracting more than 20,000 hits a day.
Loy, 23, started his site three years ago, exploring everything from football to violent weather. The site’s popularity grew in the days leading up to Hurricane Katrina’s assault on New Orleans as Loy frantically detailed the potential deadly effect of the storm.
“If I were in New Orleans, I would seriously consider getting the hell out of Dodge right now, just in case. Once the evacuation orders are issued, if it comes to that, it’ll inevitably be an absolute madhouse, despite officials’ best efforts,” Loy wrote on his Web page on Aug. 26 — three days before Katrina hit New Orleans.
Loy, a Notre Dame law student, said he simply studied the computer models of the storm’s path and read the bulletins issued by the National Hurricane Center.
