Dr. Matthew J Bunkers, Ph.D., CCM
Rapid City, SD 57701
Office: 605-390-7243
Dr. Matthew Bunkers believes that his clients deserve to have accurate and reliable weather information. He is a certified consulting meteorologist with over 30 years of weather analysis and forecasting experience. Matthew's specialties include forensic meteorology, heavy rain and flooding, high winds, fog, severe storms, hail, tornadoes, winter weather, heavy snow, slip and falls, icing, fire weather, weather-related accidents, agriculture weather, lightning verification, radar, and satellite. He has been retained and/or used as a consultant for 125+ cases since 2017. Refer to https://npweather.com
Dr. Bunkers has worked on cases involving (i) analyses of tornado/hail/wind (including derecho) damage to businesses, crops, people, farm property (e.g., barns, grain bins, and irrigation systems), and housing units for insurance-related claims/lawsuits, (ii) slip and falls related to snowfall, icing, refreezing, and freezing drizzle, (iii) climate-, severe-, and winter-weather analyses for a mining operation, preventative planting insurance claim, crop spraying, livestock operations, and construction delays due to adverse weather days, (iv) rainfall recurrence interval analyses for flooding of homes and flash-flood related damages to businesses and trains/railroad tracks, (v) snowfall and rainfall analyses for insurance protection claims for recreational events, (vi) cloud cover, moonlight, rainfall, fog, icing, snow, and wind analyses for automobile and semi-truck accidents, (vii) windstorm, drought, lightning, and satellite analyses for wildfires and dust storms, (viii) fire-weather observations and research papers for a fellow consulting meteorologist, (ix) presentations on flash flooding, storm observing, photography, and safety, (x) an air-quality and weather-related assessment, (xi) a technical review of a weather book, (xii) a general radar/hail project, and, (xiii) consulting advice for a colleague. His clients include lawyers and industries of agriculture, construction, insurance, mining, and power generation.
- Weather & Meteorology
- Q: Please list your professional accreditations, degrees, licenses, and certificates granted:
- A: Certified Consulting Meteorologist (CCM) #731 from the American Meteorological Society (since 2017)
- Q: Please list your affiliations or memberships in any professional and/or industry organizations:
- A: Member of the American Meteorological Society (AMS) (since 1991)
Member of the Association of Certified Meteorologists (since 2018)
Member of the Black Hills Chapter of the AMS (1997–2014, reactivated 2019)
Member of the National Weather Association (since 1994)
Member of the Severe Local Storms Committee of the AMS (2018–2021)
SDSMT Adjunct Research Scientist IV (since 2009) - Q: Have any of your accreditations ever been investigated, suspended or removed? (if yes, explain)
- A: No.
- Q: On how many occasions have you been retained as an expert?
- A: 102 (since 2017).
- Q: For what area(s) of expertise have you been retained as an expert?
- A: My specialties include forensic meteorology, heavy rain and flooding, high winds, fog, severe storms, hail, tornadoes, winter weather, heavy snow, slip and falls, icing, fire weather, weather-related accidents, agriculture weather, lightning verification, radar, and satellite.
- Q: In what percentage of your cases were you retained by the plaintiff?
- A: 63%
- Q: In what percentage of your cases were you retained by the defendant?
- A: 37%
- Q: On how many occasions have you had your deposition taken?
- A: Six
- Q: When was the last time you had your deposition taken?
- A: November 2024
- Q: On how many occasions have you been qualified by a court to give expert testimony?
- A: One
- Q: On how many occasions have you testified as an expert in court or before an arbitrator?
- A: Three
- Q: For how many years have you worked with the legal industry as an expert?
- A: Since 2017 as a private (part-time) consultant.
- Q: What services do you offer? (E.g.: consulting, testing, reports, site inspections etc.)
- A: Consulting, reports, site inspections, climate/weather event reconstruction, arbitration testimony, deposition testimony, trial preparation, court testimony, and courtroom graphics.
- Q: What is your hourly rate to consult with an attorney?
- A: Available upon request.
- Q: What is your hourly rate to review documents?
- A: Available upon request.
- Q: What is your hourly rate to provide deposition testimony?
- A: Available upon request.
- Q: What is your hourly rate to provide testimony at trial?
- A: Available upon request.
- Q: Please list any fees other than those stated above (E.g.: travel expenses, copy fees, etc.)
- A: Available upon request.
Hilary L. Williamson
Fuller, Williamson, Nelsen & Preheim, LLP
7521 S. Louise Avenue
Sioux Falls, SD 57108
(605) 333-0003
D. Dean Batchelder, Esq.
BURG | SIMPSON | ELDREDGE | HERSH | JARDINE PC
40 Inverness Drive East
Englewood, CO 80112
(303) 792-5595
Michael F. Marlow
Marlow, Woodward & Huff, Prof. LLC
P.O. Box 667
200 West Third Street
Yankton, SD 57078
(605) 665-5009
Edwin E. Evans
Evans Haigh & Arndt LLP
225 East 11th Street, Suite 201
PO Box 2790
Sioux Falls, SD 57101-2790
(605) 906-8901