Scary Words from The Weather Channel

[bsmart]

Last night on TWC Jim Cantore and hurricane expert, Dr. Steve Lyons, said that we could see THE strongest hurricane ever recorded in the Atlantic basin this hurricane season. Several factors will supposedly fuel not only an active season, but also very strong storms. At greatest risk apparently is the entire state of FL, the mid and eastern Gulf Coast and the Carribbean.

[Uncle Timmy]

While this is entirely possible, I tend to take anything the Weather Channel says with a grain of salt. They are in the business of generating hype and viewers after all.

Bsmart, you are the closest thing SoWal has to a weatherman, we will await your hurricane prediction with more anticipation than Jim Cantore's.

[JB]

While this is entirely possible, I tend to take anything the Weather Channel says with a grain of salt. They are in the business of generating hype and viewers after all.

Bsmart, you are the closest thing SoWal has to a weatherman, we will await your hurricane prediction with more anticipation than Jim Cantore's.

Agree. In recent years, they really have a developed a flair for the dramatic.

Honestly, I am actually hoping for a mild tropical system to move through the southeast as soon as possible for drought relief. No high winds or storm surge, just a nice two-day soaker.

[scooterbug44]

Part of it is their hope for ratings/drama. What I've heard is that it all depends on La Nina. We could have another mellow summer, w/ no evacucations to break it up.

I'm not going to worry until they start showing me a track going through Seagrove.

[6thGen]

While this is entirely possible, I tend to take anything the Weather Channel says with a grain of salt. They are in the business of generating hype and viewers after all.

Bsmart, you are the closest thing SoWal has to a weatherman, we will await your hurricane prediction with more anticipation than Jim Cantore's.

I agree. Standing in front of a camera when it is really windy is what keeps Cantore from eating out of a dumpster, so of course he's going to tell you to keep it tuned to The Weather Channel for updates during this hurricane season, and give a big teaser on the biggest hurricane EVER. It reads like a 24 preview. I do hope and pray for a mild season with a ton of rain.

[Donna]

Not to diss "science," but all the experts said the same thing about last year. Remember all their ominous claims that 2006 would be the worst storm year in history...yada, yada, yada...and the insurance companies doubled (or worse) their rates on the basis of such claims? Well, we didn't see so much as a tropical storm the entire season, and the insurance companies tried for another 55% increase in our insurance rates while reporting record obscene profits for 2006. Thank goodness for Gov. Crist.

The way I see it, we should always be ready and be realistic about the power of even a small hurricane. But tropical storms and hurricanes are part of our environment on the Gulf and they obvious serve a purpose, too. Heck, I remember people from my childhood who welcomed a good storm surge because it would sweep through their "cottage" and clean things up quite a bit. They would just go in and sweep out the sand after! Of course, they did not have polished hardwood floors, fine rugs, designer furnishings, and original art in their beach cottages. (Not that there's anything wrong with that.) Just a different perspective from times past.

[ladyj]

At greatest risk apparently is the entire state of FL, the mid and eastern Gulf Coast and the Carribbean.

DUH!

:bang:

[BeachSiO2]

While this is entirely possible, I tend to take anything the Weather Channel says with a grain of salt. They are in the business of generating hype and viewers after all.

Bsmart, you are the closest thing SoWal has to a weatherman, we will await your hurricane prediction with more anticipation than Jim Cantore's.


Anybody ever notice who the biggest advertiser is in the May-October months on the TWC? It is usually Home Depot.:biggrin:

[30A Skunkape]

http://www.weather.com/multimedia/videoplayer.html?clip=6831&nav=84&collection=topstory&from=wxcenter_video

[FLSunChaser]

Anybody ever notice who the biggest advertiser is in the May-October months on the TWC? It is usually Home Depot.:biggrin:

Wasn't there a thread at one point on Sowal and someone said that the Weather Channel is owned by Home Depot? The more sensationalized the Weather Channel is the more $$$$ Home Depot makes.

[Smiling JOe]

Wasn't there a thread at one point on Sowal and someone said that the Weather Channel is owned by Home Depot? The more sensationalized the Weather Channel is the more $$$$ Home Depot makes.
I've never heard that, but I have posted that I had heard that Home Depot has their own team of meteorologists to predict storms and potential storm damage, so that they can get the appropriate stores well stocked with storm supplies which the customers will need.

[TreeFrog]

The Weather Channel went down the tubes immediately after CNN got big ratings for Anderson Cooper standing out in the wind and watching a motel sign blow down. That's when they switched from facts to sensationalism.

Who's dumber, the network execs or the folks excited by a motel sign flapping in the breeze? :idontno:

Read Jeff Masters' blog on wunderground.com if you want informed speculation without sensationalizing.

[TreeFrog]

The Weather Channel went down the tubes immediately after CNN got big ratings for Anderson Cooper standing out in the wind and watching a motel sign blow down. That's when they switched from facts to sensationalism.

Who's dumber, the network execs or the folks excited by a motel sign flapping in the breeze? :idontno:

Read Jeff Masters' blog on wunderground.com if you want informed speculation without sensationalizing.

[NoHall]

This is long, but I got a kick out of it and hope you will, too:

Dave Barry, from Dave Barry Is Not Taking This Sitting Down!

Stay Tuned to FearPlex, for More Panic All Day, Every Day

NEWS ANNOUNCER: Good evening. Our top story tonight is Tropical Depression Vinny, which is shaping up to be the most deadly potential natural disaster ever to strike this nation since last week when Tropican Depression Ursula came within just 1,745 miles of American soil before veering off and inflicting an estimated $143 worth of damage on the Azores. For more on Vinny, let's go straight to the FearPlex WeatherCenter, where meteorologist Dirk Doppler, in anticipation of a long night of escalating tension, has already applied 75 cubic feet of Rave Extra Hold hair spray.

METEOROLOGIST: Thank you, Bill. As we can see from this satellite photograph taken from space, right now Vinny is located at a latitude of 36.8 degrees centigrade and is projected to follow a path that, according to our computer model, could potentially take it directly to any of the 13 original colonies as well as Florida, Kentucky, Oklahoma, Canada, and western Europe. We are urging everybody within the potentially affected area to become extremely nervous...The satellite is also reporting the entire planet Earth is surrounded by a cold, airless void exending for trillions of miles in all directions. It looks very bad, Bill..."



I can kind of understand where the news people are coming from. Today has been deadly dull, with Paris back in jail... I count on Jim Cantore to spice my summer up, standing on a beach in a jacket that is useless in high wind and horizontal rain.

(And, for whatever it's worth, my house is always open to evacuees.)

[supermom26.2]

I love Dave Barry!
Thanks for posting that - it is so true!

[beachmouse]

I think the tipping point for TWC came when John Hope died. Under his watch, the sensationalism was kept in check.

As long as we're talking humor bits. The thing that makes it so funny is that it's all so very true:

CARL HIAASEN
HURRICANE JOURNALISM
On the beach, waiting for Frances
Excerpts from The Handbook for Roving Hurricane Correspondents:

Welcome to the exciting world of hurricane journalism!

While your highly paid colleagues on the anchor desk are broadcasting from the dry safety of a heavily fortified television studio, you and your camera crew will be out in the maw of the storm, risking your lives for no good reason.

* What you should wear: Always choose the flimsiest rain jacket available, to visually dramatize the effect of strong winds. All foul-weather gear should be brightly colored in the event you're swept out to sea or sucked down a drainage culvert, and someone actually goes searching for you.

* What you should televise: The first rule of hurricane coverage is that every broadcast must begin with palm trees bending in the wind. Never mind that the puniest summer squall can send a coconut palm into convulsions, your producer will demand this meaningless shot.

Once the storm begins, you can forget about swaying palm trees and concentrate on ficus, banyans, oaks and Austrialian pines -- the ones that actually go down.

Fallen-tree video is absolutely essential to hurricane broadcasts. The most sought-after footage is, in order of ratings:

1. Big tree on strip mall.

2. Big tree on house.

3. Big tree on car.

4. Small tree on car.

5. Assorted shrubbery on car.

Note: The Hurricane Broadcasters Code of Ethics forbids correspondents from purposely knocking down any native vegetation with a TV satellite truck to simulate weather damage.

* Where you should go: The days before a hurricane are the most challenging for roving correspondents, because not much is happening. Needless to say, if you've got a choice between hanging out at the local Home Depot or cruising the beach, head immediately for the surf.

When the storm finally comes ashore, always stand dangerously near the rough water and position yourself so that the spray hits you directly in the face. If it's not raining yet, take off your hood and let the wind mess up your hair.

Remember: A wet, tired and weather-beaten appearance is crucial to your credibility as a hurricane journalist.

* What you should say: When covering a hurricane, there's no such thing as overstating the obvious. And, let's face it, how many different ways can you say it's rainy, windy and miserable?

To break the monotony, you might take a guess at how high the ''storm surge'' will be, even though you won't have a clue. Tedious lulls in the action will also offer the opportunity to ramble on about ''feeder bands,'' which is the slick new term for squall lines.

And when the dry, well-fed anchorfolks back in the air-conditioned studio ask you to sum up the situation in your location, always say the following:

``Conditions are deteriorating, Dwight.''

* Whom should you interview: As a hurricane advances, it's standard procedure to chat with evacuees, hotel owners, utility workers and disappointed tourists.

The two mandatory video loops are (a) worried residents boarding up and (b) harried residents standing in long lines to purchase water, batteries and other supplies.

Once the storm is imminent and the coastlines are evacuated, your interview possibilities will be reduced to:

1. Police and emergency personnel who are out on the streets because it's their job.

2. Amateur ''storm chasers'' and other wandering dolts who wish to experience the force of a hurricane up-close and personal.

3. Surfers.

Of these, surfers are by far the most entertaining interview subjects for TV. Unfortunately, you could easily die trying to talk them out of the water.

* What to do when the hurricane actually strikes: Obviously the sensible move is to broadcast from the protected lee of a strong building, but for that you could get fired.

Your producer will instead order you to step into the teeth of the storm, where you risk being clobbered by flying glass, coconuts, shingles, patio furniture or surfboards.

This is an act of utter derangement, but it makes for amusing television. If you survive, your next mission will be to find and film a major piece of hurricane debris -- the money shot.

Remember, your viewers' expectations are high. They've watched that big slow mother whorling across the Doppler for a week, and they've been primed for devastation on a biblical scale.

Take no chances. Proceed immediately to the nearest trailer park, being extra careful not to crash into other TV crews on the way.

* What to do when the worst is over: A friendly reminder -- The Hurricane Broadcasters Code of Ethics strictly prohibits drinking on the air. However, only you and your camera crew need know what goes on in the privacy of the satellite truck. If anybody asks, you know what to say: ``Conditions are deteriorating, Dwight.''

[jdarg]

Carl H....:wub: :wub: :wub: !

[tropicwatch]

I hope this season is just like last year. Over the past two years my mortgage payment has gone up by two hundred dollars a month. Just because of homeowners insurance rates.

We could use a couple of slow moving Tropical Depressions in the GOM just off of Florida to help with the drought. That way the fires are kept in check and the insurance companies don't find another reason to raise rates!

Tropicwatch (http://tropicwatch.info)

[Dune-AHH]

If anybody asks, you know what to say: "Conditions are deteriorating,Dwight.''
:floor::floor::floor::funn::funn::rofl::rofl::rofl :

[Gypsea]

Gotta love both Dave and Carl. :floor: They actually share an office in Miami. If you worked next to them, I don't know how you could get anything done with all of the belly laughs.

[reddsings]

I can kind of understand where the news people are coming from. Today has been deadly dull, with Paris back in jail... I count on Jim Cantore to spice my summer up, standing on a beach in a jacket that is useless in high wind and horizontal rain.

(And, for whatever it's worth, my house is always open to evacuees.)


As long as Jim Cantore DOES come here we will be fine. Track all his past stories. He is a WOOSS and goes MILES from any anticipate cone of doom.
Always the new kid or Mike Bettes WILL go where it is. Example: Recent storm Barry expected in Tampa/Punta Gorda. Where is Jim ? Mississippi !!!!
The other reporter was in Punta Gorda

After 8 storms all within 40-60 miles of Key West we came to be on first name terms with most of them. But not Jim

LOL tongue in cheek hopefully NONE of them come near

[Paula]

My strategy is to enjoy the summer, be as prepared as I can be for whatever happens in Florida (or elsewhere) with storms, and turn on the weather channel the day of any storm that seems like it could be heading toward the Panhandle. The first year I was in SoWal, I watched the weather channel for days before a storm. Now, I know that worrying about it for days doesn't change the outcome anyway.

So, I'll just have to be sure the cottages are secure, the guests are taken care of and have put gas in their car (and are prepared to leave) as soon as they hear about a possible storm, and book a flight or plan to drive to SoWal as soon after a storm if possible.

Most important (after securing the cottages and taking care of guests) is I'll be checking in with SoWal.com regularly -- even days before the storm. And I'll be wanting our SoWallers to be safe -- that's actually #1.

I better go check my insurance files and call to find out how I reach someone if something really does happen. Then I'll relax and enjoy the summer. Can't predict Mother Nature so I won't try to.

[beachmouse]

The storms avoiding Jim worked well up until about late 2004. But in 2005, man had a bull's eye on his back, and darn nea killed himself in Biloxi during Katrina.