Tornados and ridiculous newscasters

[Stacy E. Apelt - Bladesmith]

We had a tornado come through last Friday. They are pretty rare here, and it caused some damage, so everyone is excited/nervous.

Today the NWS posted a tornado watch until 1PM this morning. Shortly later I heard newscasters say "we are getting ready to be hit by a tornado", "listeners should watch for the tornado", and other dumb statements. One broadcaster said ,"The tornado that did so much damage in Atlanta yesterday is moving through the Carolinas and is going to be here in Southside VA by 1PM."

Around noon, there was a line of thunderstorms that formed and they raised it to a tornado warning. That means that there was a storm system where the radar showed rotation in the clouds, that the storm was moving at a fast pace through a certain path, and the system had the potential to spawn a tornado. One newscaster said "A tornado is moving through Chesapeake on a line toward Virginia Beach and Norfolk at 55 MPH." Later he said "The storm with the tornado is at Kempsville right now and will be at XYZ in 10 minutes." Of course, there was no tornado.

If a newscaster can't read/understand the weather report, they shouldn't make any statements at all. The local weather celebrities aren't much better.

It is stupid enough that they take all TV off the air for 4 to 6 hours to go to "STORM MODE" just to have the weatherman/woman tell us every five minutes that it will rain/snow/storm sometime in the next 24 hours, and show us the same weather radar over and over again. The next four minutes, the rest of the "storm crew" then sits around and chats about last year's storms and shows years old photos of snow/damage/flooding/etc.

Last year they had "winter storm mode" for over 24 hours ... and we got less than an inch of snow. I had people telling me we should close the store a day before it was even here, because Jeff Lawson said it was really going to be bad at any moment. At that time the storm was 500 miles away.

I won't get started on the stupid stuff they do and say when there is a hurricane in the tropics 1500 miles away and moving at 3 MPH.

OK, rant over.

 

[argel55]

You should live in tornado alley. As you said they go to storm mode, helicopters with cameras. You also have storm chasers. There is nothing more exciting to see a windshield with rain drops all over it in the dark, telling there is a system just to the North of me a mile. What the heck are you doing that close in the dark where you can't see it.

 

[mete]

You have to keep up with the latest equipment like a new LED flashlight --that will let you see the tornado !!
Besides a tornado can be very localized .I knew a guy who was washing off his house from a tornado that took out his neighbor's house when a second tornado came and took out his house . Mother Nature always rules.
Last year we had an honest weatherman . He had two different forecasts to work with . SSSOOOO he gave both reports and said 'you pick the one you want ! ' Reality in weather reporting !!

 

[Rick Marchand]

Our schools close with just about every threat of snow. I am serious. My kids had at least 12 snow days this winter. Most businesses shut down as well. It's wishful thinking to hike out to get chips and beer ... believe me!