Phoenix Monsoon Forecasts

[formeraa]

This is my first summer in Phoenix. Boy, these monsoons seem extremely hard to forecast. Here is my assessment of several of the weather teams:

KTVK -- If Royal is not there, forget it! Even then, the coverage is decidedly low key.

FOX 10 -- Definitely over the top! But their newsteams and weather teams keep you up-to-date on the storms and seem right on top of their game.

KPNX -- Strong reporting but weak back-up meteorologists. If Bill Kelly is there, everything's fine. Caribe is still trying to figure out what a monsoon is. God help us if Amy is ever there in the evenings. Why don't they use Ron Meritt more during the monsoon season -- kind of a dual weather team?

CBS5 -- Seems to be reasonably decent without being overly alarmist.

ABC15 -- Too painful to watch. I have really tried to watch this newscast, but it just seems amateur (and that's saying something with KTVK in this market).

 

[nascar_red]

> KTVK -- If Royal is not there, forget it! Even then, the
> coverage is decidedly low key.

April Warnecke started her weather duties this weekend. In the studio, she is awkward at the green screen and cannot transition from the right to the left side of the screen comfortably. Reporting from the field and doing her reports she was much better, just like a reporter filing a news story (oh yea, that's what she used to do!) Kim is qualified but uses too much of the game show hostess hand gestures and is rarely used now that she has her own show.
>
> FOX 10 -- Definitely over the top! But their newsteams and
> weather teams keep you up-to-date on the storms and seem
> right on top of their game.

Time for Muncey to retire. Who wants to know that Marion Ohio received one and thirty six hundredths of an inch of rain...how about an inch and a third, Dave?
>
> KPNX -- Strong reporting but weak back-up meteorologists.
> If Bill Kelly is there, everything's fine. Caribe is still
> trying to figure out what a monsoon is. God help us if Amy
> is ever there in the evenings. Why don't they use Ron
> Meritt more during the monsoon season -- kind of a dual
> weather team?

Well put. Bring back Bill Austin!
>
> CBS5 -- Seems to be reasonably decent without being overly
> alarmist.

Jeswald came from Las Vegas and has monsoon background. Needs to spend time learning the state and where cities and highways are located. Too often looks at weather map and states something based on a graphic title. Wickenburg is only this big (_) on the map but the name is this big (_______________).
>
> ABC15 -- Too painful to watch. I have really tried to
> watch this newscast, but it just seems amateur (and that's
> saying something with KTVK in this market).
>
I love the sweeps from Desert Doppler. When the FAA put in digital radar for air traffic control, many older controllers felt uncomfortable bacause the wasn't a sweep on their screens. The FAA had to put an artificial sweep on the screen for them.

Kaj Goldgerg told viewers last week, "if you know someone driving on the 10 or 17 call them on their cellphone and tell them to pull off to the side of the road." At least his suits look nice.

 

[formeraa]

> > KTVK -- If Royal is not there, forget it! Even then, the
> > coverage is decidedly low key.
>
> April Warnecke started her weather duties this weekend. In
> the studio, she is awkward at the green screen and cannot
> transition from the right to the left side of the screen
> comfortably. Reporting from the field and doing her reports
> she was much better, just like a reporter filing a news
> story (oh yea, that's what she used to do!) Kim is
> qualified but uses too much of the game show hostess hand
> gestures and is rarely used now that she has her own show.
> >
> > FOX 10 -- Definitely over the top! But their newsteams
> and
> > weather teams keep you up-to-date on the storms and seem
> > right on top of their game.
>
> Time for Muncey to retire. Who wants to know that Marion
> Ohio received one and thirty six hundredths of an inch of
> rain...how about an inch and a third, Dave?
> >
> > KPNX -- Strong reporting but weak back-up meteorologists.
>
> > If Bill Kelly is there, everything's fine. Caribe is
> still
> > trying to figure out what a monsoon is. God help us if
> Amy
> > is ever there in the evenings. Why don't they use Ron
> > Meritt more during the monsoon season -- kind of a dual
> > weather team?
>
> Well put. Bring back Bill Austin!
> >
> > CBS5 -- Seems to be reasonably decent without being overly
>
> > alarmist.
>
> Jeswald came from Las Vegas and has monsoon background.
> Needs to spend time learning the state and where cities and
> highways are located. Too often looks at weather map and
> states something based on a graphic title. Wickenburg is
> only this big (_) on the map but the name is this big
> (_______________).
> >
> > ABC15 -- Too painful to watch. I have really tried to
> > watch this newscast, but it just seems amateur (and that's
>
> > saying something with KTVK in this market).
> >
> I love the sweeps from Desert Doppler. When the FAA put in
> digital radar for air traffic control, many older
> controllers felt uncomfortable bacause the wasn't a sweep on
> their screens. The FAA had to put an artificial sweep on
> the screen for them.
>
> Kaj Goldgerg told viewers last week, "if you know someone
> driving on the 10 or 17 call them on their cellphone and
> tell them to pull off to the side of the road." At least
> his suits look nice.
>
I did see Kaj last weekend and was impressed by his clothing! I will have to tune to 15 and see the Desert Doppler. I just have difficulty watching their newscasts. The ABC15 sign on their set looks like someone went down to Office Depot and had it printed up on poster board.

Overall, in Phoenix, it's pretty challenging monitoring 5 different stations, all having multiple newscasts!

 

[buster2]

> This is my first summer in Phoenix. Boy, these monsoons
> seem extremely hard to forecast. Here is my assessment of
> several of the weather teams:
>
> KTVK -- If Royal is not there, forget it! Even then, the
> coverage is decidedly low key.

Royal is the best of the lot anywhere in town (though I have to give Dave Munsey and Ron Merritt props, too). Royal's a pro who has enought time in town to understand the nature of monsoon storms, which, as you correctly note, are very tricky to forecast. In fact, I'd say forecast is not the right word. I can't tell you how many times weather pros have missed seeing a storm come up. It's not because the forecasters are inept, it's that monsoons are all-but-unpredictable. I'm a native, and I've seen lotsa storms. Sometimes, one will be right on top of you and a moment later completely fizzle out. Another one may appear almost spontaneously.


> FOX 10 -- Definitely over the top! But their newsteams and
> weather teams keep you up-to-date on the storms and seem
> right on top of their game.

Dave Munsey has been with 10 since it was a staid, low-key CBS affiliate. It amazes me that FOX sticks with him because he's decidedly un-FOX. But it does my heart good to see an unglamorous, balding guy keep the gig. Dave's one of the good ones.

>
> KPNX -- Strong reporting but weak back-up meteorologists.
> If Bill Kelly is there, everything's fine. Caribe is still
> trying to figure out what a monsoon is. God help us if Amy
> is ever there in the evenings. Why don't they use Ron
> Meritt more during the monsoon season -- kind of a dual
> weather team?
>

Ron Merritt is the one guy at channel 12 who understands monsoons. This place used to have high-powered talent in the weather and sports departments, but not so much any more.

> CBS5 -- Seems to be reasonably decent without being overly
> alarmist.

Eh, probably.
>
> ABC15 -- Too painful to watch. I have really tried to
> watch this newscast, but it just seems amateur (and that's
> saying something with KTVK in this market).
>

Funny you should say that about KTVK. They have some of the longest-tenured, seasoned and professional staff both on and off the air in town. Their frat-party casual approach to most things is something they're deliberately attempting. It's ironic, because before 1986 or so, KTVK was the least-watched channel for news and they had major credibility problems. Then their owners (then local) hired the news director and some of his top off-air talent from then-market leader channel 10. KTVK got better really quick and became a very credible news provider with solid ratings. In the last ten years or so, they've decided to go with a much more fluffy direction that has still yielded profitable ratings for them. I'm afraid that says a lot about society in general.

 

[formeraa]

>I'm afraid that says a lot about society
> in general.
>
Agreed!

I grew up in Seattle. Believe it or not, the rain in Seattle is extremely tricky to forecast as well. For many years, the stations just had one weather forecaster. Fortunately, the rain in Seattle is usually not heavy (although some severe flooding occurs in outlying areas every year).

 

[nascar_red]

KTVK reports...

On Thursday's GMAZ, KTVK reported that flash flood that swept away the 7 year old girl in Seven Springs was caused by the heavy rains in Scottsdale and Mesa.

 

[formeraa]

Re: KTVK reports...

> On Thursday's GMAZ, KTVK reported that flash flood that
> swept away the 7 year old girl in Seven Springs was caused
> by the heavy rains in Scottsdale and Mesa.
>
Obviously, geography is not their strong point over at KTVK. More likely, it's another example of the poor writing skills of the many of the reporters over there. On the weekend version of GMAZ, the writing is very poor.

 

[nascar_red]

Some don't know where they are.

And then there is ABC-15. With Desert Doppler, three sweeps make it the most accurate in town. At least six minutes faster than the other stations.

But Kaj Goldberg doesn't know what that big lake is northwest of Globe. Tonight at 6pm he refered to it as Horseshoe and Bartlett Lakes instead of Roosevelt. I guess Desert Doppler let him down (three times).