Dear Tom,
Who thought of reporting daily temperature forecasts with the high shown first and then the low, which is actually the next day? Why not put the low first and then the high? That way it would all be on the same day.
John Wozniak
Dear John,
A weather forecast can succeed only if the forecaster is able to convey his expectation of the future weather to the user. Regardless of its accuracy, a weather forecast fails if the end user cannot understand the forecaster’s intent.
In the late 1970s, based upon an exhaustive survey of public opinion, the National Weather Service determined that the elements of a weather forecast are most understandable when presented in chronological order, and that has become the standard means of presentation. We adhere to that dictum, and so a day’s high temperature appears first, following by the next night’s low.
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Tom Skilling is chief meteorologist at WGN-TV. His forecasts can be seen Monday through Friday on WGN-TV News at noon and 9 p.m.
Write to: ASK TOM WHY, 2501 Bradley Pl., Chicago, IL 60618 or asktomwhy@wgntv.com (Mail volume precludes personal response.)
WGN-TV meteorologists Steve Kahn, Richard Koeneman and Paul Dailey plus weather producer Bill Snyder contribute to this page.
