I’m not a meteorologist but I can tell you that predicting the weather sometimes is just as difficult as solving a Rubik’s Cube.
I’ve worked all throughout the south in my nearly 12 years in the business, and everywhere I’ve been I’ve watched meteorologists make some difficult calls.
They often have to read more than a dozen different models all telling them a dozen different things.
Take this latest forecasted snowstorm for example.
In our morning editorial meeting (where the meteorologists brief us on what’s going on), the models had been all over the place.
Some said it would be too warm and we would get… like two inches of rain.
Others said we would get hit by like 6 to 12 inches of snow.
As we get closer to the Wednesday event, the meteorologists can fine tune the forecast.
Also, keep in mind, even half a degree will make all the difference with this storm.
If we dip a half a degree below freezing, more snow.
Half a degree above freezing… more rain.
And then there can be different temperatures in different levels of the atmosphere that can lead to snow, sleet, or freezing rain coming down from the sky!
See what I mean!
It’s difficult working this Rubik’s Cube isn’t it?
Posted by Scott Leamon at 07:19 PM. Filed under: leamon •
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Posted by ( jerry63 ) on January 25, 2011 at 10:14 pm
Scott, With the Town and Cities in Southwest and Central Virginia being at different elevations that also makes it difficult for Jeff, Patrick,Alyssa and other weather forecasters even with all this new technology to pin point for certain what will happen outside. I can give you Wythe County as a example Rural Retreat is the highest point in elevation as far as the N & S Railroad is concerned. Rural Retreat may be getting buried in Snow if the temperature is cold enough and Ten Miles down the interstate to Wytheville there may be Rain instead of Snow so as you said in your Blog this is just like a Rubik Cube trying to predict what will exactly happen until it starts so the elevations and slight degree in Temperature makes all the difference in the world.
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