Winter Storm Coverage

[OldGreyEagle]

OK, as we here in the East Coast area dig out yet again from a winter storm, I have to comment on the local Media's "Storm Coverage" or "Storm Tracker" or whatever it is that they call it. Other parts of the Country, do they do the same things?

 

You know, Big Winter Storm coming, stay tune to Channel XX for all updates and latest information. First, they have some guy saying, yes it's going to be bad, lots of snow coming, then while the storm is going on, they say "stay home, don't go out lots of snowing is falling, , then they have reporters standing out in the snow, saying things like "well yes Bob, its really snowing here, how is it 10 miles west?" "Well here 10 miles west its really snowing, what about 10 miles south?" "Same story, really snowing, Township Officials are saying to have people stay inside and if you must go out, be sure to bundle up." Someone commented on the need to dress in layers

 

Be sure to Bundle up? Dress in layers? Thats the information I need to keep up with the storm? All day all they can say is it's snowing and they tell people to bundle up dressing in layers? If any one is taking notes on this and saying, wow, bundle up, and layers I am sure glad they said that, as I ddint know . Well, those people need to freeze to be eliminated from the gene pool.

 

They have seminars on how to shovel snow, that drinking hot liquid warms you up faster than not drinking it. All valuable information I have never seen before. Then when its over its the recap, yes, we said it would snow, then it snowed, you all saw the snow and now the snow is over, all thanks to use here at XXXX News and Weather. Oh yes, we told you to bundle up before going out, dressing in layers cause clearly you didnt know that

 

How did the colonials ever survive without such required information? How did we as a society ever make it this far without such fonts of knowledge?

 

Is this a local thing? What have you guys seen regarding storm coverage, anywhere in the country?

 

[AlFansome]

Here in Northern California (Bay Area), we get the same treatment when rain comes. "Don't forget, the roads will be slippery", "Slow down when driving", "Bring your umbrellas", "Prepare for power outages" (if windy), blah blah blah. And there are always teases throughout the prime time hours and at the top of the newscast for the weather report that comes 15 minutes in.

 

Since it only rains here in any great amount from typically December through March, they also always send a guy up the interstate to the Sierra for the snow "report". He/she is always at Blue Canyon at about 5000 ft, which is the highest point that still has a direct line of sight back to the Bay Area for their mobile transmitters. What follows is the typical snowball fights, unprepared/clueless drivers, chain installers, and North Face jacket wearing correspondent pretending to freeze.

 

Like clockwork, every year, always the same.

 

(This message has been edited by AlFansome)

[JoeBob]

We're expecting one to three inches of snow tomorrow in northern Georgia.

For us, that's panic time. Why buy a snowplow that you'll only use once every 5 years?

Everyone's leaving work early to buy milk, bread, and diapers...

[sherminator505]

It happens all over. I was in southern New Mexico when what most would consider a light dusting of snow was headed for the area. Everybody on the radio (even the FM rock station) was acting as if a hurricane was headed for the Mesilla Valley. If it's anything out of the ordinary, then off they go!

[skeptic]

Here in So Cal, it is also similar to the North's coverage. Just add in the requisite "flash flood warnings" and possible mud slides in the burn areas. Then they show the mud running down the same spot dozens of times on every station, and the few idiots who are dumb enough to attempt to do something stupid, like drive through two feet of water, or refuse to evacuate when the mud has already taken out a house a block away.

 

The other weather thing that annoys me is that its wet, more later. Give the weather news and get on with other things. Don't give us bits and come on info, then make us wait for more info. And, maybe they could give us actual rain totals, if known. Also, don't keep showing the constant radar precip maps, unless they actually relate to real info'; and don't stand in front of the map and block the information, or pan through it so fast you can't really see it. Finally, don't make yourself look stupid by saying there will be "thunder showers", or there are "thunder showers". There is no such thing. They are thunder storms with rain showers.

 

Rant off.

[FScouter]

You're listening to the wrong "news". Try the McNeil-Lehrer Newshour.

[le Voyageur]

Got the news back in early August that it would be a hard winter, and started preparing then. My forecasters were nothing more than loons in the wrong place, at the wrong time. Pay attention to Mother Nature, and you won't be needing to listen to all that prattle from those talking heads...

[HobcawChaos]

Way near the coast of Africa, the wind is blowing. Could be a direct hit by a Cat 5 Hurricane.

[moxieman]

To all of you south of the Maine Wilderness:

 

PLEASE SEND US BACK OUR SNOW!!!

 

Our winter tourism industry is suffering due to a lack of snow. I have a nearly bare lawn. I should have at least 3 feet of snow on my lawn right now.

 

Please, please send me back my snow!!!!

[CalicoPenn]

OGE - yeah, it's a local phenomenon - unfortunately, it's a local phenomenon that has infected the entire country - and the infection is so widespread that no one can say for sure just where the it originated (though I suspect it was Los Angeles).

 

Once some stations get the idea for "storm tracker" or "health beat" or "consumer watchdog", it becomes viral and every station ends up doing the same thing. Part of this may be related to corporate ownership of certain affiliates (I may be wrong but I believe that ABC, NBC and CBS actually own the affiliates in the big three major markets - Los Angeles, Chicago and New York City - and they all seem to roll out format changes at the same time - while most smaller markets have so-called independent owners (meaning not ABC, NBC or CBS)).

 

It even happens here in Chicago - but of course in Chicago (and Milwaukee, Madison, Rockford, Buffalo - and anywhere else in the snow belt) we just laugh at the reporters on television and consider them to be foolish namby-pambys that need to go back to Dallas or wherever they crawled up from. 12 inches of snow forecast and a Principal cancels school? Parents are outraged by this - why should the kids get a snow day when we all still have to get to work. Calling in to work because of snow? Just isn't done. Forecast of snow showers? Translated means 1 to 3".

 

To be fair to our Mid-Atlantic friends, we are better prepared to deal with snow removal - heck, O'Hare Airport alone probably has more snow removal equipment than all of Baltimore. And though the amount of snow the Mid-Atlantic states will get is probably half of what we will see by seasons end, we didn't get it all at one time.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[NE-IV-88-Beaver]

You send the trucks south and we'll be more than happy to load 'em and send them north. We're running out of places to put the darn stuff.

 

I've got 36 - 40 inches covering what I wish was bare lawn and having to wait two more days for the bucket loader to finish at one of the mall parking lots before he can get to me.

[CalicoPenn]

JoeBob - let us know when your snow melts off your roads and parking lots after tomorrows storms. I'd be pretty curious about that.

[le Voyageur]

yeah, it's a local phenomenon - unfortunately, it's a local phenomenon that has infected the entire country - and the infection is so widespread that no one can say for sure just where the it originated (though I suspect it was Los Angeles).

 

Actually, you need to go more to the west - the problem is being caused by the Pineapple Express..

 

http://ezinearticles.com/?The-Pineapple-Express---Natural-Phenomenon&id=3579900

 

[NE-IV-88-Beaver]

But getting back to OGE's original question, yes the coverage is over the top! Over sixteen solid hours of local storm coverage on all four major networks suspending all network programming yesterday is way over the top! After you tell everyone to stay in, don't drive, pace yourself if shoveling, and what's closed, why do you have to repeat it ad nauseum? Two minute news spots during the day with important updates on the screen crawler should give us all the news that we really need.

 

Wouldn't it make more sense to have some upbeat programming interspersed during the day to lift people's spirits? I know I'd feel better! And for Pete's sake, what's with having the poor weather guy or gal stand outside to tell you how much snow there is! I can look out my window and know that without someone else getting hypothermia. I guess that we're supposed to think of them as superheros for challenging the elements instead of just thinking that they're too stupid to come in out of the cold! (Yeah, I know, I don't have a lot of sympathy for that poor guy who has to demonstrate the wind velocity during the hurricanes, either!)

[Hal_Crawford]

OGE wrote:

"How did the colonials ever survive without such required information?"

 

Actually, in both the Jamestown and Plymouth colonies, roughly half the colonists perished the first winter. Maybe they needed the Action XX Weather Team to sort it out for them. They probably needed more than winter weather advice as they didn't fair much better in warm weather.

 

Actually, I agree that the coverage was pretty over the top. One local station preempted all network programming Friday night to provide continuous coverage of the storm. Not much point to say don't go out--the dumb ones were already out so they weren't seeing the warning. Besides, with closings scrolling across the top of the screen and updates scrolling across the bottom there wasn't much picture left in between.

 

Still and all, there were a lot of stupid people out there but again, I don't think the TV teams were going to impact Darwinism in action.

 

A note on the clearing of snow. How fast the snow gets plowed is proportional to how much local and state governments budget for snow removal equipment and personnel. In the Twin Cities they budget a lot, here in DC not so much and when 4" of snow hits Atlanta civilization collapses! How much is budgeted affects how much is paid in real estate and other taxes. I have friends in the Twin Cities who pay twice the tax rate that we do in Northern Virginia. Of course they wouldn't have had schools closed for six days in a row. If we paid the kind of taxes it would require it would be money wasted most years.

 

Department of irony: Our district has postponed this year's Klondike Derby--twice--due to snow.

 

My street's plowed--one lane--back to work tomorrow.

 

Hal