Dmitry Ryabov Belarusian meteorologist and weather forecaster Date of Birth: 04.12.1973 Country: Belarus

1. Childhood and Education
2. Military Service
3. Career at Belhydromet
4. April Fools' Joke
5. Typhoon Javier and Dismissal
6. Post-Belhydromet Career
7. Personal Life

Childhood and Education

Dmitry Ryabov was born on December 4, 1973, in the Far East of Russia. He spent his childhood between Vladivostok, where his father served as a naval officer, and Minsk, where his mother studied. Initially, Dmitry aspired to become a veterinarian, botanist, or doctor. After the 8th grade, he applied to a medical school but later changed his mind and returned to school. Upon graduating, he worked as a locksmith at the Gorizont factory for two years.

Military Service

When he reached draft age, Dmitry applied to the Frunze Saint Petersburg Naval College. Initially, he intended to enroll in either navigation or engineering, but both programs were full. The only available places were in the meteorology class of the hydrology department. Despite not fully understanding the profession, Dmitry drew upon his childhood experiences of keeping a weather diary. He was one of only five students who graduated from a class of 18.

After graduating in 1997, Ryabov was assigned to the Admiral Flota Sovetskogo Soyuza Kuznetsov aircraft carrier as an engineer-synoptic. He later rose to become the head of the meteorology service, supervising a team of 12 sailors, 3 warrant officers, and 2 commissioned officers. Ryabov's responsibility was to provide the ship's commander with daily weather reports, which guided critical decisions. Mistakes in meteorology could incur criminal penalties ranging from 3 to 8 years of imprisonment. Except during the winter freeze of the Barents Sea, Ryabov spent most of his military service on active duty. He served a total of 5 years in the navy in Murmansk and Severomorsk, retiring with the rank of Captain-Lieutenant.

Career at Belhydromet

Upon completing his contract in 2002, Dmitry Ryabov returned to Minsk and joined the Republican Center for Hydrometeorology, Radioactive Contamination Control, and Environment Monitoring (Belhydromet). Despite his initial difficulties adjusting to the cold and dark polar climate, he eventually became the head of Belhydromet's meteorological forecast service. He also served as a spokesman, providing weather forecasts on television and the internet.

Contrary to popular perception, Ryabov was not personally responsible for creating forecasts. Instead, he led various departments, including those for short-term forecasts, unfavorable and hazardous weather, long-term forecasts, and the processing of meteorological data.

Ryabov became a regular guest on the weather program "Telebarometer" on Belarus 2 (formerly Lad) and hosted the column "Weather from First Hand" on the Belarusian news portal TUT.BY. Often referred to as the "people's synoptic," Ryabov's forecasts were known for their originality, creativity, and poetic flair.

Despite frequent criticism for inaccurate forecasts, Ryabov maintained a positive attitude, recognizing the inherent uncertainty of weather predictions. During his tenure at Belhydromet, the accuracy of 24-hour forecasts was estimated at 95-96%, monthly forecasts at 70%, and seasonal forecasts at less than 55-60%. However, daily data was averaged over the month, resulting in lower accuracy on specific days. Furthermore, forecasting localized phenomena like thunderstorms during the summer was particularly challenging due to rapid and unpredictable weather changes.

April Fools' Joke

On April 1, 2011, Ryabov gave an interview to BelaPAN claiming that Belhydromet possessed technology to control weather using electromagnetic radiation, similar to the HAARP project in Alaska. He declined to provide details, claiming that the information was classified. However, he later admitted that this was an April Fool's joke. Belhydromet officially clarified that its mission was limited to forecasting weather, not altering it.

Typhoon Javier and Dismissal

On March 15, 2013, a severe snowstorm "Javier" hit Belarus. Municipal services were unprepared for the heavy snowfall and strong winds, resulting in a transportation crisis in Minsk and other regions. While many blamed Belhydromet, Dmitry Ryabov emphasized that his team had been monitoring the cyclone's path from the outset and issued timely warnings. He attributed the problems to negligence and lack of preparedness within city services and among citizens.

On September 14, 2017, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko criticized the country's meteorologists during the appointment of the new Minister of Natural Resources and Environmental Protection. He suggested that Belhydromet officials consult with the more accurate military weather service. Notably, the military forecast service works in collaboration with Belhydromet, and Belhydromet also participates in creating the military's forecasts.

On September 22, Dmitry Ryabov was dismissed from Belhydromet by mutual agreement. The reasons for his dismissal remain speculative, but it is believed to be linked to the president's criticism. Ryabov's departure marked the end of an era for Belarusian meteorology.

Post-Belhydromet Career

After his departure from Belhydromet, Dmitry Ryabov joined the ONT television channel as a weather forecast presenter. His first broadcast was on September 29, 2017. Since November of the same year, he has co-hosted the program "Meteogid." Despite his prior experience in media appearances, Ryabov had to learn the ropes of television broadcasting from scratch. His arrival at ONT brought a fresh approach to weather forecasting, including written introductions to forecasts in the news program "Our News."

Personal Life

Dmitry Ryabov married a fellow Belhydromet employee in 2004. They have a son born in 2008. He also has a daughter from his first marriage, Victoria, who lives in Saint Petersburg.

Ryabov is passionate about gardening and horticulture. He maintains a flower garden in his office, featuring a variety of plants, including both Belarusian species and exotic varieties like mandarins. He also enjoys spending time at his cottage, where he cultivates flowers and vegetables. Contrary to popular belief, he does not rely on lunar calendars for his gardening practices.

Dmitry Ryabov is an animal lover, with a particular fondness for cats. He previously had a cocker spaniel named Charlie and a cat named Lyalya, both of whom were rescued from the streets. After their passing, he adopted a Yorkshire Terrier and plans to get a cat in the future.

Regarding his preferences for weather, Dmitry claims to appreciate all seasons and weather phenomena, though he dislikes extreme cold. Having experienced both extreme heat (+50°C) during his time in the Mediterranean and extreme cold (-50°C) in Murmansk, he finds the cold much more difficult to tolerate. Overall, he is comfortable with the climate of Belarus.