Do the media love weather, or what? Good weather, bad weather, they love all weather. Whether it’s serious, or not.
Take Tuesday’s light dusting, for example. I happened to be working out at lunchtime and caught some of ABC’s "Stormtracker" coverage that interrupted regularly scheduled programming. I couldn’t hear the audio, but I could sure imagine it…
"This is Curt Constantinople, live in ABC’s Stormtracker headquarters. We’re
following what could be a real whopper of a snow storm bearing down on the New York metropolitan area. Our Stormtracker team is on-site at some 31 locations throughout the tri-state area and will be providing live reports throughout the day. Let’s check in first with Hazel O’Hara in Hackensack. Hazel, it’s really coming down out there, isn’t it?"
Hazel: Not yet, Curt. But we sure are expecting it. In fact, stores are completely sold out of snow blowers thanks to our warnings on last night’s newscast.
Curt: That’s great to hear, Hazel. Our economy could sure use the boost. Keep us posted. Now, let’s go to Robin Rabinowitz in Rye. Robin: Whassup in Westchester County?
Robin: Curt, the winds are really whipping up here. I’ve had to put extra hair spray on in order to do this live remote. Thankfully, there’s no precipitation at all. I so do not need a bad hair day right now. Back to you, curt.
Curt: Hang in there, Robin. And stay safe. Now, let’s go out to the island and check in with Gaby Gomez in Garden City. Gaby. I can barely see you.
Gaby: That’s because the cameraman just fell, Curt. Ok, there we go. Curt, I’ve been covering weather for 30 years and I’ve never seen an entire town so eerily quiet.
Curt: Wow. Tell us what the weather’s doing. Is it a white out?
Gaby: Actually the sun is still shining, Curt. But I do see clouds and we both know what’s inside those clouds, Curt.
Curt: You bet we do. Clouds contain precipitation which, depending upon the temperature, can be either rain or snow. Which one is Garden City expecting, Gaby?
Gaby: Neither Curt. But we are expecting it to get dark within a few hours and you know what that means.
Curt: Yes I do. Darkness means colder temperatures and that means ice. And ice means icy roads. And, icy roads mean fender benders. And, if we’re fortunate enough, a few fatalities to report on. Hazel, Robin and Gaby, thanks for braving the conditions. ABC’s Stormtracker team will continue to provide you round-the-clock coverage of this rapidly-developing weather situation. Will it rain? Will it snow? Will nothing at all happen? We’ll be the first to tell you.
Is it any wonder the media always shares the bottom of the trust and image rankings with used car salesmen and atheists? When it comes to weather, they’re the institutional boy who cried wolf.
This is hilarious! I grew up in Florida and it reminds me of the ridiculous weather reports that have the whole state boarded up and evacuated before a tropical storm has even turned into a hurricane.
Very well put. I laughed.
And then I thought of the poor man at the grocery store. He was kicking and screaming about the translucently-clear skies and “ominous” prediction of a 36-degree low. He was literally in rage and threatening to leave his wife for the Bahamas.
It was below 50 for two days.
Then I talked to my poor mother in Detroit. She happily told me that today she could leave the house because the clouds parted for the first time in 3 weeks and melted the top foot off of the snow; i.e. the car door was visible. Oh! And it was so cute when the dogs had to go outside because little Marley sank to the bottom and Auggie got excited. Aw.
It was certainly refreshing to hear her optimism among the meteorological doom that’s sparked by the weather men and dispersed at grocery stores.
Oh Steve it’s ten times worse down here in the south. Last Thursday people started talking about the possible “wintry mix” we would be seeing Monday and Tuesday. There was mention of the cancellation policy for church class in mass on Sunday and the news team kept asking us to check back for school cancellations (because Lord knows we shut down at the slightest bit of ice).
Don’t worry, with all of this warning I was completely prepared for the 5 minutes of flurries that fell from the sky.