We’re all set for the storm. My prediction – 4 to 8 inches here, a real storm but a pretty ordinary one for January.
The Weather Channel is a revealing and lucrative corporate Ponzi scam. I wonder if people know that every time the cable channel “names” a storm, their advertising triples immediately and stays tripled until the storm is well past.
I also wonder if anxious people know that every bit of their “forecasts” comes from the government’s National Weather Service, which has been predicting the weather for over a century. And for free. They have a nice, calm, and truthful website.
Here is their forecast:
“Heavy mountain snow and coastal rain continue across the West Coast. Strong thunderstorms, heavy rain, and flash flooding will be possible for the south through Saturday. A winter storm is on tap this weekend for the East Coast. Heavy snow, freezing rain, and flooding will be possible. Hazardous travel conditions are likely. Meanwhile, a series of intense storms continue to impact.”
On Monday, we will all be here and ready to work again. There will be some casualties; there always are in large storms.
No videos or promises of the end of the world on the federal site. Not yet. Just the facts. It seems we need drama and fear to pay attention to anything.
The federal site is not nearly as excited about Ari Salsari, who also shares the name of yet another storm the channel has named. It will be a good week for the channel. Both storms, said Salsari, will be “memorable,” but neither will be all that dangerous or destructive. He was deeply concerned today, promoting not one but two storms to “name” status. We used to call it a snowstorm.
The farmers still do. I’ve never heard one of them put a name to a storm. The city people are storming the groceries for milk and cereal. I know, I was one of them.
Why, I wonder, wouldn’t people look at the government site, which gives the cable channels all their weather information and is accessible to taxpayers and easy *(and quieter) to read? The danger is evident here – people who aren’t paying attention to the storms can be caught off guard).
They’ve just heard the wolf cry “dangerous” too often. For me, the weather channel warnings are much more alarming than the storms itself.
I’m paying attention, but not to them.
We are getting those apocalyptic warnings about this weekend’s storm. Still, as I go through the data, cautious and concerned, I see nothing coming but a 4 to 10 or 12-inch storm of the kind that delights skiers and innkeepers and poses no serious threat to snow plows or anyone who has lived in upstate New York for more than a day.
It is a popular sport, like football, when the Northeast or other parts of the country get hysterical about normal storms. I know it is helpful for people to be warned of danger; some of our storms have been dangerous, and more will be. I can no longer separate the hype from reality; perhaps the weather channel can’t either or doesn’t need to. Fear sells; it’s almost as profitable as Mr. Trump.
I’m eager to take the Monochrome out in the storm and see if it can catch the beauty of the winter pasture
Zip was annoyed with me for skipping our morning meeting. He sat in the wicker chair and glowered at me through the window. “You are a spoiled brat,” I suggested. He yawned at me.
the term *just look up* comes to mind……no panic alerts needed for those who are observant and prepared. All will be well, I’m sure! And you have referred to Zip as *glowering* at you several times……LOL…….I do not interpret this (just my take) as glowering……..I see it as *intently purposeful* watching….. be warm and cozy, and we will do same. Finally got inside temp up nicely with good fire in woodstove…..and now able to peel off layers here……..ahh…..bliss
Susan M
And, here we go! Here in northern CT, we’re hearing 6-12″ but ours may be light and fluffy compared with an icy mess along the coast. Guess we’ll fin out tomorrow morning, or later tonight…
Thank you for the weather site recommendation. I have been using “The Weather Channel” for years and have been annoyed by its rag-type headlines, knowing all along that the spicier the headline, the bigger the ratings. I liked their format, as it was easier for me to navigate. My Hubs has been using NOAA forever. Shhh, don’t tell him he was right!
I stopped watching the news when we dropped cable. I get my weather from an app called Weatherbug. It’s got maps with various layers. I prefer the straight radar map. No noise or doom and gloom, just the weather with 10 day forecasts. I’ve been using it for years.
I think we’ve been conditioned to mass doom and gloom ever since CNN aired the first Iraq War “Operation Freedom”. Which made them Tha channel to watch. People kept it on all day long. I have a good friend who kept the TV on all day and she became so fearful of the world that she passed it onto her only child who got addicted to drugs to try to erase the fears surrounding him. Perhaps this is part of why we have an opioid crisis, people are trying to calm their fears. Turning off TV’s would be a start.
When was the last time we went anywhere that didn’t have a TV on a wall? Doctor’s offices are the worst since you can’t turn off off or get away from it.
In the Age of Reason we got factual weather reports, and took the weather as it came. In the Age of Emotion we get drama and everyone panics as a result.
I only use wunderground. Weather stations are near your home and the readings are spot on. Local news which I don’t watch and WC use airport readings. The airports are ever the same temperature as my area, after losing so many plants I moved on to wunderground.