Excitable Meteorologists: When To Believe Them.
When the weather turns crazy, some of us turn to meteorologists.
For laughs.
Let’s face it, weather forecasters live for bad weather. The more violent the storm, the better. You can see the excitement in their eyes when a monster hurricane is brewing or a blizzard is building.
By the time the storm is a day away they’re losing their minds.
Shoot, a simple cold snap finds them dressed like they’re ready for an assault on Everest as they toss pennies onto frozen puddles to demonstrate the properties of ice.
A mini heat wave - like the one we’re in now - has them sternly reminding us to stash our wool scarves and hats and not to go running at noon. Oh, and to wear sunscreen.
These over-zealous TV forecasters have started to name snowstorms. Ordinary wet weather becomes a rain or snow “event.” Blizzards become “bomb cyclones.”
In these parts we’re accustomed to the annual hurricane hysteria that starts as soon as a tropical depression forms off the coast of Africa. When it’s within 700 miles of Hatteras - and about to blow out to sea - meteorologists are biting back tears.
That said, these forecasters actually have an important job: They help the public prepare for dangerous storms. Trouble is, they over-hype the weather so often that when they want to raise a genuine alarm many aren’t paying attention.
Folks are too busy watching reality TV to watch we’re-all-going-to-die weather reports.
For instance, meteorologists in the Plains and MidWest have been on the air non-stop the past few weeks warning locals about powerful tornadoes. In fact, early warnings are being credited with the low death toll during this rash of twisters.
But the other night, one Dayton, Ohio meteorologist exploded on the air. He lost his cool after his station cut into “The Bachelorette” with extended tornado news and viewers were irate.
TV weatherman Jamie Simpson made the mistake of checking social media while he was on the air and saw folks griping about missing a reality show that helps stunningly beautiful, but extremely stupid people, find spouses.
Simpson’s reaction, “I’m done with you people...this is pathetic” went viral:
Look, it’s alarming to know that some folks in the path of a tornado preferred a scripted show featuring women looking through excessive eyelash extensions to find Mr. Right than know they were about to die.
On the other hand, if meteorologists would stop panting every time the mercury falls or rises a few degrees, viewers might take them seriously.
