Cary Burgess (left), shown with colleagues at KCBD-TV, now assists as “official” meteorologist for all SystemsGo launches.
Feb 1, 2025–Every year there is one aspect of our rocket launches that we cannot control–the weather.
Over the 20-plus years of launching across the southwest, we have been hamstrung by cold weather, hot weather, high winds, low clouds, torrential rain, and even one “microburst” that leveled our tents in the Hill Country.
While we will never control the weather, we now have an expert at our side who can at least watch it and warn us, guiding our hands as we attempt launching 150 rockets at four very different launch sites during the most volatile weather window of the year.
Cary Allen Burgess is a broadcast meteorologist who stepped up to volunteer in 2023.
Rebekah Hyatt, Ex Dir, has him on speed dial, and is not reluctant to punch that button, even at 5:30 in the morning.
Cary’s journey began with a violent weather event. He clearly remembers witnessing a tornado at the age of 6. It forever changed him.
“That stuck as a big moment,” he said. “I knew then that I wanted to be a weatherman.”
His passion stayed with him, and by 4th grade he had decided he was going to work for the national weather service. His schooling steered him along a parallel path, when he became a sportswriter for his university daily, which then led to hosting a radio sports talk show and eventually a regular DJ slot in Lubbock. It was then when again tornadoes pushed him along his path.
“I was interning at KCBD-TV in Lubbock, doing weekend weather, when I was thrown on the air after a severe tornado outbreak in North Texas. That really launched my career.”
Cary went on to obtain his broadcast meteorologist certification, becoming full-time KCBD-TV meteorologist in 1995, where he worked until retiring from a full-time slot in 2020. He continues to fill in as needed, along with producing regular radio broadcasts and social posts under his pseudonym Dr. Doppler, as well as working as sportswriter first at the Kerrville Daily Times and later the Fredericksburg Standard.
As if that was not enough on his plate, in 2023 SystemsGo was looking for a meteorologist to advise them on monitoring weather conditions during annual launches. After a brief meeting, it was obvious that Cary was the right person.
“I DO have Cary on speed dial, but it would be really handy if between April 23 and May 15, with AI, my phone would learn my behavior, automatically dial him when it is cloudy, rainy or windy, get an updated forecast for my current location, dictate his response and send me an alert!” Rebekah said. “In all seriousness, we are incredibly blessed to have Cary willing and able to assist us! Even at 5:30 am he cheerfully accesses the precipitation, cloud cover and wind speed information I need so I am prepared for the day – regardless of what it may bring. It is truly appreciated!”
Cary’s function as the “Official” SystemsGo Meteorologist is wide-ranging and difficult to describe.
“With SystemsGo, it is mainly just the weather–what is going on in the atmosphere prior to and during launches,” he explained. “It can vary from being as simple as satellite and radar data, to more technical analysis such as the difference in wind patterns at ground level versus at altitude. Ultimately it helps SystemsGo know how to position the rockets on the rail so the wind won’t carry them too far off. But usually it’s about wind and clouds.”
SystemsGo students design, build, and launch two categories of rockets at the annual launches. Tchaikovsky Level involves rockets able to boost a 1-pound payload 1 mile high.
At the Oberth Level, teams boost transonics to the speed of sound up to 3 miles in altitude. Mission Control must adhere to strict FAA guidelines regarding cloud ceilings, visibility, and NOTAMs, which are notices filed to alert aircraft pilots to the presence of rockets.
So Cary’s weather reports are essential in helping ground crews predict launch windows that ensure safety for all participants and observers.
“General weather information is available to the public, but it is hard to be interpreted,” he noted. “All data originally was designed for military and aircraft use, so it is in Celsius and knots. Not only can I help make decisions whether crews can launch and visibly see the rockets as they ascend, but transonics go up to 3 miles where there is a big difference in temperature and wind speed. Plus at that time of year, weather forecasts are most dramatic as cold fronts interact with gulf air.”
Due to the importance of such forecasts, it is not unusual for Cary to get a call at 5:00 am. During the day, Cary stays in contact to help forecast what the models show should happen by a certain time.
“That helps Rebekah schedule and use time efficiently on site,” he said. “To me the most important task is for safety purposes, and I need to go to a different level of forecasting in order to be able to do that. And I’m trained to do that.”
Another challenge is the variation between the four launch sites. In New Mexico, the elevation is above 3000 feet. In Southeast Texas site sits at sea level on a point of land jutting into Trinity Bay. Stonewall, in Central Texas is also challenging for its Hill Country terrain. In 2024, there was a temperature inversion that kept clouds from clearing out for four days.
With all that, Cary loves the challenge. It is much closer to his childhood dream of working for the weather service.
“The challenge for me is that the weather is never the same,” he said. “Weather can change so quickly that the models can’t keep up. To be able to follow it at such a close range every single hour is different than doing a general forecast. Working with SystemsGo allows me to go more in depth than I normally do for my radio or newspaper weathercasts. The normal TV viewer doesn’t care what is going on at 3,000 feet; they mainly want to know what they are going to wear in the morning.”
As a volunteer with SystemsGo, Cary has traveled full circle, as he sees students pursuing their dreams just as that little boy did watching a tornado.
“To be a part of SystemsgGo is a neat experience,” he said. “I do like giving back. Maybe there is a student that is interested in weather, so this would be an opportunity for someone down the line to do what I’m doing. I once was that kid, and so many guided me in that direction that I want to give back that knowledge.”