We recognize Smart Money's statement above is directed at the TV weather profession (as opposed to internet weather reporting, CWG-style) but we don't think it's a fair characterization. And snow forecasts are a whole different ballgame.ģ) Smart Money: "We're often more show biz than science."ĬWG revision: "Weather reporting is a mix of science and show biz." How many times have you read a CWG forecast and then been caught completely offguard by rain ( Sunday night being a notable exception)? On the other hand, Smart Money's characterization of the challenges in predicting smaller-scale summertime showers and thunderstorm details is spot-on. With bigger weather systems (larger-scale areas of rain), we feel we do a pretty good job inside of 24-48 hours accurately describing rainfall likelihood, approximate timing and amounts, and how confident we are in the forecast. We disagree with the generalization of the first sentence, but are on-board with the second. That's especially true in summer, when most rainfall comes from thunderstorms, which are small, unpredictable and hard to track." What they can't do is provide daily details about the exact highs and lows and timing of precipitation, which is of course what the average weather consumer cares about most.Ģ) Smart Money: "We're pretty accurate-as long as the sun is shining."ĬWG revision: "We're pretty accurate-with some notable exceptions."Īccording to Smart Money: "Unfortunately, not very good at predicting rain. This information can be quite useful to users such as farmers and utility companies. how temperatures and precipitation will compare to average) two weeks or so in advance. Forecasters who are skilled in analyzing weather patterns can, in many cases, provide a sense about weather generalities (i.e. But we dispute the notion that a forecast beyond 7 days is anyone's guess. We agree that communicating the uncertainty is a must in long-range forecasting (and short-range, too). He mentions that Ray Ban, consultant to The Weather Channel, confesses the best we can do in long-range forecasting is communicate uncertainty. Smart Money reports short-term forecasts are fairly accurate, but equates forecasts at and beyond seven days to flipping a coin. Let's walk through them, one by one.ġ) Smart Money: "Long-term forecast? Your guess is as good as ours."ĬWG revision: "Long-term forecast? The forest, not the trees." In our opinion, some are fine, others are flawed, the rest somewhere in-between. The August issue of Smart Money features the article " 10 Things Weather Forecasters Won't Say." The author, Jim Rendon, takes a candid look at the weather profession and draws 10 conclusions.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |