MY View

Blame it on the weather, and the people who forecast it.

As I “hit the hay” last evening, it was hard to not know that our area would be in the grips of the first winter storm this week.

I realized it even had me checking the forecast. The fellow on the news said to do so because it would be changing. He was going to update some models and look at some charts.

I woke up earlier than I intended. The first thing I did was check my phone for a new forecast. The models and charts must not have changed much, because everything looked identical. Maybe there would be 1-3 inches of snow, maybe there’d be 4-7. Maybe there’d just be a trace. “But winter is here folks,” the guy on the news said. “Be ready for it.”

I think if there was a science I could have embraced as a kid, it would have been meteorology. It’s kind of just guessing. I did a lot of that in other science classes and didn’t have a lot of luck at report card time. My hypotheses were often proven untrue, mostly for lack of credible research. In short, I probably skipped the homework assignment.

I was stuck in chemistry, biology, a short stint at physics and even zoology. I had to dissect a frog. Why wasn’t meteorology offered? It seems to be – in the real world – that more people would rely on my skills in that area than having a ninth grader carving up small creatures.

As far as science goes, it would be right up my alley. For the most part, as a meteorologist, you’re coasting. You’ve got the four seasons and pretty accurate historic data for the three months each are comprised of. It’s hot in the summer. It’s cold in the winter. It’s kind of cold in the spring and fall.

I didn’t learn this in school, but we all know weather arrives from the west. Decades ago, perhaps meteorology was a more social profession. Living in the middle part of the country, you also have the benefit of knowing that unless there’s something bad going on outside, your weather is going to come from the west. The weather person would likely have to pick up a phone and call a comrade a few hours to the west periodically. “Bill, whatcha got outside right now? Colder than yesterday you say? Kinda windy? Feels like it could snow? I’ll get that in my 10 o’clock report.”

Now, I guess like most of our professions, computers do the heavy lifting. The weather reports are filled with colors and arrows and lines. If we’re lucky, they’re even reporting from the middle of the weather event itself. It’s still, however, up to Mother Nature. The best they could give us is that we could get a trace to 7 inches of snow where I live. That threat of a big storm impacts a lot of people’s day. I stopped for coffee on the way to the office and was informed, “Could be more than 7 inches of snow today,” the guy in front of me said to the clerk.

Well, whatever transpires, I guess that winter has finally arrived. My research shows that this month is cold, and it’s going to get colder, and when it’s cold and there’s precipitation, it’s usually snow. [email protected]