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Be kind to meteorologists......
May 30, 2008 | 6:19 PM PST
Category:
Weather
Having a meteorology degree, I catch it all the time from people.
"oh, what TV station are you with?" (I don't work in TV--not skinny or attractive enough!) "oh, so you're a weather girl?"
"you all are always wrong!" "hey, can you order me a sunny day for
tomorrow?" "they really blew the forecast yesterday!!" (*sigh*) I
think what people don't realize is that meteorology is truly NOT an
exact science, and for good reason. You're taking a TON (and I mean a
TON) of of variables from geology and hydrology and oceanography and
atmosphere, sticking them in to some complicated equations on a
computer, and then going from there. In simple, trying to capture
Mother Nature on a computer, then try to predict what she's going to do. She has a tendency to laugh at stuff like
that. "You humans are trying to do what??!" Thus, forecasters end up holding
the empty bag.... looking like they're real mess ups, but in reality, they
tried their best to recognize what in the heck she's doing.
Granted, I'm really "out" of the forecast part now... I got out of
that about 10 years ago. I'm a perfectionist, and had even worse self
esteem back then.... I'm a very "all or nothing" sort of person. The uncertainty part ended up being too hard to take.
But, the next time you meet a real, college degree holding forecaster, be easy on them. They're trying
their best! It's Mother Nature who's being unpredictable...............
