Weather Hype: Good or Bad?

FORECAST HYPE
By Andy
February 1st 2015 

Recently much has been said in the news about weather forecasting, in particular incorrect forecasting. Much of this incorrect forecasting is the cause of Media hype. With so many news outlets these days, and so many different opinions it is hard to find one that you can trust. Many news events are hyped up by big news stations such as CNN, FOX, NBC, and HLN. Much of this hype comes from the need for higher TV ratings. Big headlines such as “Deadly Blizzard and Record Breaking event” really get the viewers attention but are these headlines accurate? Is the media looking for the real answers or are they falsely giving headlines to boost Ratings? Most recently the “2015 Blizzard” was hyped up by big weather outlets such as Weather Channel. Weather hype has both its positives and negatives.

 

Mother nature is beautiful, but at certain points she isn’t to be messed with. Her most unpredictable quality is the weather. Weather and climate conditions affect all aspects of life on earth. With this being said it is important for us to utilize our resources of the twenty-first century to be as accurate as we can when predicting the forecast. For many people, predicting the weather through observation has been a necessary part of life. Having a “heads-up” that there will be a hurricane most likely would save lives. This is the type of weather forecasting that is beneficial, the kind with little to no “hype” and that actually focuses on subject matter. 

Society has done a pretty solid job thus far with establishing institutions that can put out a forewarning of the weather events of a particular day. For instance, there is a Facebook page that posts school cancellations. This is a vital resource for parents, students, and teachers alike. Not to mention the benefit it offers small business and the local economy; of knowing if you need to open today, or stay closed because there is going to be three feet of snow. In the web article "Does the Weather Channel hype or help during storms?” from the blog of Irene Nolan, she talks about how the Weather channels Jim Cantore hyped the coastal town of Hatteras and surrounding outer banks area, into thinking a major hurricane was about to make landfall. Here's what happened in Irene’s words: "However, the charge from many local businesses was that The Weather Channel hyped this storm with Cantore’s reporting from the beach, where the breeze was hardly blowing, and that having the cable network around is bad for business.” 

As far as people are concerned not many know how to predict their own weather, Because of this they rely on the weather forecasters. These forecasters are almost never 100 percent in their predictions.

Now, because most people rely on the forecasters, they plan their day based on the prediction they see on television, social media etc. If the forecasters are wrong, most people are going to have a bad time. For example, if the weather calls for three feet of snow, like in New York, businesses will shut down, and schools will close. If they were wrong, businesses are closed and the workers aren’t working, if that happens businesses aren’t making money and then that affects the workers because aren’t getting paid. This whole process gives off a big chain reaction effect. If schools are closed that forces most parents to stay at home and not be able to go to work if their job didn’t close already. Once again you see the whole chain reaction coming into effect. Because everything is closing, anyone who feels “unprepared” goes into a frantic stage of anxiety and panic. They basically raid the stores to get everything they need. Although it may be good for the economy (see positives), it could potentially be dangerous for anyone trying to get something from the store while everybody is crowding and scrambling trying to get the last : shovel, salt bags, etc.. While people are out and about others are inside panicking becoming nervous wrecks, not knowing what to do. All this can be the result of an over hyped weather forecast. This does not only apply to winter storms but also other such as tropical storms and hurricanes.

 “Weather is a driving force everywhere”. Having the correct weather forecast means a lot. It affects your daily life, the economy, your attitude and many other things. Weather forecasting is hyped up sometimes, and can be both negative and positive. Since Weather hype has been a huge talk among weather enthusiasts, chasers and meteorologists, we felt it was necessary to talk about this growing topic.

Andy. Until Next Week