By I.J. Hudson
The words began to fly long before the snow.
The snow was in Georgia. The computer models certainly suggested it could be heading here. It really wasn’t a question of if – it was a question of how much and how it would be dispersed in the Washington Metro area.
Christmas morning some television stations that wouldn’t spend the money to have a meteorologist in the studio, put up a text “crawl” over programming warning of the potential for a storm and to stay with them to get the latest on the snow. I guess we would get the latest from a “crawl” until a weather person could come in.
The computer models they used the morning after Christmas (today) told a tale of two areas: winter storm advisory and winter storm warning. The advisory areas could look for 3-6 inches of snow; the warning areas, 4-8 inches of snow. The customary stories of the morning were the same stories repeated over 30 years. The snow is coming. How are jurisdictions getting ready? Exactly how many trucks are there? (What difference does it make if there are 906 or 910?) Travel suggestions? Leave early. How many tons of salt? How long before the plows start their work. How long until they reach the neighborhoods? How much did you spend on snow removal last year? How much is in the budget this year?
The plows were gathering plenty early – just in case, ready to fan out to designated routes. Can’t be late for the snow!
We were treated to live news conferences, live telephone interviews, live shots from places it wasn’t snowing ---- yet (but it would). Was it because officials were sure the snow was coming, or because the media folks were calling to “feed the beast?”
Winter storms are a “shared experience,” and we need the sharing. But I think these days there is double-sharing going on. Yep, people will watch the usual suspects measure snow, talk to kids sledding, report on power outages, how neighbors are helping neighbors, how people are trapped at airports or train stations. But the people are also spending more time sharing their own stories, their own photos with family and friends through email, Facebook, Twitter and countless other social media sites. And they're reporting first-hand from locations where there is snow, where travelers are trapped - thousands of stories.
Funny thing! The weather system decided to push out farther to the East – leaving the advisory area feeling left out and the warning area looking at only a few inches. I wonder if the folks to the East were really ready or were depending on the models to get it right.
Forecasting the weather around here is tough. The topography and competition make it really tough. Some weather folks have suggested putting out a forecast more than a day in advance can be as treacherous as rear-wheel drive going up an icy hill. But, sometimes --- that's exactly what they have to do. Some days the weather cooperates; other days - not so much.
Don’t get me wrong. The media is still a big deal with its personalities, radar and models. It’s just that more and more, the media is us.
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