Forecasting, the Inexact Science

Here's the headline this hour in Birmingham: Snowflakes Have Arrived in Birmingham.

And it's a good thing, cause folks aren't very forgiving of an incorrect forecast on TV. Remember, I am not a meterologist, but I did play one on TV. So I know the wrath of viewers who take it personally when the forecast isn't right on the money. But look at this National Weather Service graphic, for example:

 

     Normally I would say that there's no difference in a  high temperature being 60 or 62, for example, or a low of 45 or 48. Who cares? But when you approach the freezing mark and there's moisture, suddenly temperature is everything. We know it will be well below freezing tonight, for example, but when will it be 32 or below--and exactly where in the state---to produce snow or sleet?
     Normally it is the toughest call a forecaster has to make, and the most important. People plan travel and outdoor events...schools have to decide whether to close or delay their opening...cities and towns have to decide whether to prepare sand trucks.
     So a miscalculation of two or three degrees suddenly becomes critical.

     I say give them a break...the folks at the National Weather Service and meterologists like CBS 8'sKait Parker and Matt Tanner and Chris Bailey would love to be able to say what the exact temperature will be block by block 24/7...but that's impossible. Cut 'em some slack and let them do their best.