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Why Are Our Weather Anchors So Incompetent?!?

F

formeraa

Let's see, we have 5 television stations with at least 3 or 4 weather anchors each. Yet, weather only happens in Phoenix about 3 or 4 times a year. Still, these bozos can't give us adequate warning of severe weather. Why the heck didn't they warn people of the potential for high winds???

I say just fire all of them and have the anchors read the forecast. Honestly, they should be ashamed of themselves for such terrible weather forecasting.

Oh, but Dave Mounsey is so good at reminding us "to watch our kids around water". However, he can't forecast his way out a box, apparently, when it comes to storms.
 
In the past I have blasted local 'news' in general and weathercasters specifically but don't understand your complaint on this event. I remember last Monday hearing one or more "weatherperson" state we were in for colder, windier and rainy weather the next couple of days. No problem with that forecast - turned out to be dead-on.

Now specific to KPHO I have an issue. Every single day, almost with exception, the noon news weather report of current temp in Tempe is 8-10 degrees lower than the reading on my back porch (on the Tempe/Chandler border). I live in an area of large lots, grass and trees all over the place. It is always cooler in the middle of my development than surrounding areas yet KPHO insists it is hotter by a significant number of degrees each and every day. The other stations, to the best of my memory, are far more accurate (and yes, I have crossed verified my gauge).

Not that this is Earth-shattering but the weather people should try to be accurate, wot?

I have wondered why, in this era of declining station revenue, they continue to employ multiple weather folks when the forecast can easily be read by the anchor.
 
I don't know what you were watching, but the 5 stations you mentioned all listed the "Blizzard Warning" for Flagstaff across the Rim and in SW Arizona with snow and high winds. They all mentioned that we would see windy conditions with some strong gusts. What more did you want? Royal, Chris, Dave, Jimmy and Bill to mention you by name on the broadcast, "Here's the forecast for FormerAA and the rest of Arizona..."
 
Hate to pile on but I heard a lot about the storm and that the winds were going to be really strong sometime around midnight. They were off about 45 minutes at my house because it was really windy about 11:15pm. I guess some people don't watch the news, they just like to say negative things about it.
 
You can be critical of me. But it is not necessary to imply that I don't watch the news. That is flat-out false. My problem is that NOBODY emphasized the potential danger of this storm. Yes, they had "Blizzard Warnings". However, they also have a fudiciary responsibility to WARN people of the inherent danger. They said, "High Winds" but they should have emphasized the potential for 60-75 mph winds, which is what we got in Phoenix. By the way, I guess you didn't realize that the Phoenix stations also cover NORTHERN Arizona, which would explain why dozens and dozens of hunters are missing and possibly dead up there -- because these stations shirked their community responsibility to remind people of the danger of this storm.

Sorry, but I must disagree with all three of you. Have sensationalist headlines and breathless live reports DOES NOT mean that the stations adequately warned the public of this inherent danger of this storm.

But as with everything, YMMV!
 
Respectfully, I must disagree. The local stations did a more than adequate job emphasizing the danger in the high country. Hunters are legendary for ignoring such warnings, choosing instead to trust in their own inflated senses of survival.

Here in the Valley, I was surprised by the intensity of the wind, but I'm sorry, that's not something that can be reliably predicted. You're asking for clairvoyance - nobody on Phoenix TV or radio seems to possess that skill.
 
I respectfully disagree, Dave. My problem is that they don't try. They seemed to be lulled into the "Sunny and xxx degrees with a chance of rain by Saturday (of course, we won't tell you that it's only a 4% chance of rain)" mentality. Very high winds were observed in neighboring states to our West and North BEFORE they made it into Arizona. Ordinarily, I don't care about hunters (I'm not one), but people's friends and relatives are lost in part due to the ineptness of our weather forecasters.

It's interesting to me that Seattle, which has almost opposite weather from Phoenix, has made great strides in forecasting over the past 3 decades. Thirty years ago, they simply predicted rain/showers and yy degrees. The occasional snow and/or windstorm was as much a surprise as Monday's storm was in Phoenix. Now, the weather anchors actually pay attention and do a good job of forecasting snowstorms and damaging winds. If it can be done in Washington which is in a coastal state, it should be able to be done in Arizona, which is inland.
 
Formeraa,

I think it is a bit out there to lay the missing hunters on our local weather people. I'm not a hunter either but make it a point to check out the 'real' weather sites before going into the wilderness no matter what time of year. Anyone who has lived here more than a few years knows well that intense storms can spring up quickly and without much warning. This storm had plenty of warning with heavy precip predicted for the high country. Anyone who treks into the mountains with a big winter storm on the way takes his own life in his hands.

Much as I would wish a more professional approach to news and weather you cannot lay this on them.
 
Okay, I guess I'm totally wrong on this. Yep, all the stations should spend more money on 20 year oldsbackpack journalists right out of college. We already get so-called weather anchors whose only experience is a year or two in Yuma (before the attacks start, I'm sure Yuma is a very nice place to live). The news departments have no fudiciary responsibility to inform us of anything, especially a potentially dangerous weather situation. I'm sure Flagstaff viewers are having fun watching the Phoenix reporting throwing snowballs at each other in the Target parking lot. Forget it. Nobody really cares.
 
I know you're commited to your opinion on this, but there are a few good people doing weather in Phoenix. I'll just stick with one: Royal Norman. He's been in the market for a couple of decades and he's usually pretty accurate. He's also a very talented broadcaster; I know because I worked at Ch 3 many years ago and I saw him in action first hand. But if you want a REAL joke of a forecast, look at the back page of the local fishwrap. If they predict three days of rain (as they did for the end of last week), you may as well take a picnic, cuz the sun will shine instead.
 
buster2 said:
I know you're commited to your opinion on this, but there are a few good people doing weather in Phoenix. I'll just stick with one: Royal Norman. He's been in the market for a couple of decades and he's usually pretty accurate. He's also a very talented broadcaster; I know because I worked at Ch 3 many years ago and I saw him in action first hand.
Click to expand...

Have to agree there. I've always liked Royal, one of the few reasons left to watch KTVK.

But if you want a REAL joke of a forecast, look at the back page of the local fishwrap. If they predict three days of rain (as they did for the end of last week), you may as well take a picnic, cuz the sun will shine instead.
Click to expand...

Which is one reason why I don't watch Channel 12 News. Does one expect anything different from the world of Gannett? They can't get their sports TV listings right either.
 
Honestly, IMO (which doesn't count for much here), the best weather forecaster in town right now is Jayme King. If you watch his forecasts over time, it is clear that he puts time and effort into analyzing the weather patterns. His personality can be a bit overbearing at time, but his forecasts are rock solid. It's too bad he is wasting away on the weekend on Fox 10, along with Linda Williams.
 
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