Why should you check today’s weather forecast?
You should check the weather forecast for your own safety and well being. It seems we are having an uncommon amount of flooding this year. It is plaguing the central part of the United States. Homes are being evacuated, and people have to be pulled from floating and partially submerged cars. It seems that people do not believe the weather forecast even when the National Weather forecast is very clear with its warnings. Do you have a plan if you are caught in a flood? Does your flood plan cover being in your home? Does it cover being in your car and getting washed away?
Remember when people did their best with natural signs to predict the weather?
Farmers and sailors watched the sunset, watched the clouds, and went about their daily business, probably with as much confidence as we do when we check the weather forecast on television. “Red sky at night sailors’ delight, Red sky at morning, sailors take warning.” I heard this and read this many times in my younger years. Would it not be humorous to hear someone say this from the Storm Prediction Center? That is not how they present the weather forecast today, but it probably had good basis in some atmospheric conditions. It was an early weather forecast tool. Now we rely very strongly on computers and Doppler radar for our weather forecast. Some clouds are thick and fluffy, full of heavy rain. Some are like mare’s tails they just scud across the sky bringing no weather, no coolness, and no rain. Farmers can still make a pretty good pin point weather forecast by watching the clouds in their own region.
Can there be an accurate National Weather Forecast? I do not think so. It is hard to take into consideration all geographic aspects that affect our weather and make a weather forecast that encompasses a nation that spreads from one ocean to another. The weather forecast must take into account air currents and ocean currents. Deserts affect the weather forecast too. I keep looking in the weather forecast for news of the droughts breaking in the west, and in Florida. It is of concern to me.
Weather forecasting has come a long way, and it is helpful, and no doubt saves lives. It will be interesting to see what other tools are developed to present us with our daily as well as seasonal weather forecasts. Some day perhaps we will be able to say if a hurricane will cause massive damage and predict weather even better how it will turn, where it will hit. Someday, perhaps, we will see the droughts coming up, and be able to build up our resources to successfully deal with them, after a long term weather forecast. This is a science that is constantly growing, as well as an art that we use for survival.
