Weathermen Shouldn’t Blog, Round 2
As I’ve said before, weather forecasting doesn’t really lend itself well to the medium of blogging. Today’s snowstorm in our area is a perfect example.
Now, don’t get me wrong: I happen to like their weather team quite a bit, and they’re spot on as often as any other team in town. Still, with so many different computer models producing frequently contradictory weather forecasts these days — not to mention that this is the Midwest, which means things can go insane in 10 minutes — writing a lengthy weather analysis often backfires.
Doubly so when one decides, for instance, to get all adamant about it, as our head meteorologist at the local Fox affiliate did on their weather blog last night:
My assessment of tomorrow’s storm has not changed…in fact I am more confident now than I was yesterday, that this will blow through with a sleet/snow combined total of around an inch…or maybe even less in some spots in the metro.
Does this stuff on my deck tonight look like “around an inch… or maybe even less” to you?
UPDATE: The severe winter weather warning expired at 9 p.m. Those folks definitely have their act together: the snow stopped falling here around 8:40. Looking outside, I’m guessing we got around 6 1/2 inches but it’s hard to tell without actually setting foot out there, something I’m not about to do tonight. I’ll definitely be curious to check the snowfall total in the morning, though!
UPDATE TWO: Snow totals on the evening news said my town got 8.6 inches. How on earth can a forecast have been so wrong?!
Wow. We’ve had fog all day long here in the Chi-waukee or Mil-ago grand metroplex.
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Uh-oh. We had fog yesterday. I wonder if this is headed your way?
It might be, but we might be far enough north of the storm.
Hubby says he thinks it’s supposed to start snowing tonight…
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To give you an idea of just how MUCH snow we got, here’s what it looked like last November 26 when we had an ice storm, and how it looked the year before that when we got 10 inches on December 10.
It’s been 10 winters since I’ve been in a snow-prone area, and this is the 4th where I have lived somewhere with ZERO snowfall.
I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I kinda miss the snow. Sometimes.
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I don’t remember who it was but one Boston meteorologist got a reputation for what turned out to be “six inches of ‘partly cloudy’”, He was teased about it every winter after that by the news anchors.
Ben: Please, seek help from a mental health professional.
Ben, I missed snow terribly when I lived in Hawaii. Come to think of it, I missed snow terribly all summer long. So don’t get me wrong: I’m not complaining about the stuff. I absolutely LOVE it!
But I really get frustrated when meteorologists downplay what turns out to be a heckuva storm, because people rely on the accuracy of their forecasts.
I have friends who set out this morning en route to the Country Club Plaza (about an hour from here) to go shopping because the forecast called for rain and little, if any snow. They got stranded on the way home when they hit the heavy, blowing snows in our town.
Jim, I’d have to tease that guy, too. But frankly I do agree with Ben about the snow. Then again, my sanity has always been in question.
Talk about downplaying a “heckuva” storm: In 1979 in Chicago the weatherpeople (all the local weatherpeople) said we were going to get 3-6 inches. Instead it was more like 4-5 FEET of snow. It was a LOT of fun. the drift next to the detached garage was up under the eaves so we put a ladder up to the peak, climbed up, and slid down the roof into the drift and then down the rest of the 10 feet or so of drifted up snow. Only time we could ever slide off the roof with NO chance of injury!
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They kept revising the numbers here, from “dusting” to “one inch” to “one to three inches.” We wound up with about two. Still, it’s a lot nicer than the three inches of ice we had two weeks ago.
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Kim, you’re right: that’s a forecast gone horribly wrong! But it sounds like you definitely made the best out of what could’ve been a miserable situation. And, actually, it sounds like a lot of fun. I know we’ll have a blast making snowmen and throwing snowballs tomorrow, which is something we couldn’t do if we’d only had 1 inch or so.
Chaz, I’m glad you didn’t get hit with more ice again!
Kate you will definitely be having a White Christmas. Have you made magic reindeer food to sprinkle in the yard? (oatmeal, raisins, and glitter)
Magic Reindeer Food
On Christmas Eve, before you go to bed, sprinkle magic reindeer food on the lawn. The magic glitter, sparkling in the moonlight and the smell of the oats will help guide Rudolf right to your house!
It’s pretty on snow. Birds and squirrels will eat the oatmeal and the raisins. The glitter will eventually disappear.
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Oh, and the total quantity doesn’t have to be more than 1/4 to a 1/2 a cup.
kimsch’s last blog post..Countdown To Christmas – Hymn of the Day
Haven’t made it yet, but I’ll definitely make it tomorrow! Since we were snow-bound, VH and the Big-Eyed Boy finished off all of the cookies I’d baked.
All. Of. Them.
All. Six. Dozen.
I don’t know whether to be appalled or impressed.
Either way, I’ll be baking more tomorrow, so I’ll put together the Reindeer Food while we’re in the kitchen.
I just baked some Andes mints cookies and Andes peppermint/white chocolate cookies tonight. I want to do some more baking too, but I don’t know how much.
I have another tip. Put globs (balls) of cookie dough right next to each other on parchment paper and stick them in a bag and in the freezer. You can put them in dozens or whatever on a sheet of paper. Then, when you want to bake some cookies, preheat the oven, take the frozen balls out of the freezer, space properly on a cookie sheet and bake ‘em up. They will probably take a couple minutes longer than normal – because they were frozen, but only a couple so watch them. Quick, no mess, fresh baked cookies! And ever so much cheaper than the packages in the dairy section at the grocery store.
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I do something similar with sugar-, shortbread and butter-cookie dough: roll it into logs, wrap it in waxed paper then plop it in a freezer bag. When the boys are in the mood for cookies, I thaw and slice them and bake. It works with chocolate chip cookie dough, too, but VH usually just grabs a log out of the freezer and starts gnawing on it, so I can’t count on having them ready-to-go.
Unfortunately, my freezer’s empty so I’ll have to make lots of extra dough logs tomorrow.
the last few days they been missing the temps here in DFW
this morning they are close though.
Saturday they predicted a low of 32. . .mild freeze, no worries.
Except when I looked at the weather the current temp was 19! er. . .in my hell hole of a rental that makes for damn cold house temps.
Sunday and Monday were slightly better, they were only 8 degrees off on the lows, but they were low on the highs, so it was vera nice in the afternoons. shirtsleeve weather! shortsleves yesterday!
this morning the temp is within a degree(of course it is lower) but where I am we are usually a bit cooler when cold, and warmer when it warms up, being just out of the city’s moderating effects.
Can you imagine being a meteorologist’s parents and knowing your kid keeps getting the weather wrong repeatedly? I’d want my college tuition money back.
**sigh** I hate Florida
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