Dear Tom,
Could you give an example of criticism you receive when one of your forecasts is wrong?
Neville Sommers
Dear Neville,
We do indeed receive occasional criticism. Here’s a colorful rant directed not at me but at forecasters in Buffalo, N.Y., when an expected rain last Oct. 11-12 turned into a crippling snowstorm instead. Written by an irate resident of Clarence, New York, it appeared in the Oct. 14, 2006, Buffalo News:
“They’re not forecasters, they’re weather guessers. The weather guessers all claim to be certified meteorologists. What does it mean to be a certified meteorologist? Well, I found out that they all go to the Your Guess Is As Good As Mine School of Meteorology in Stupidsville, Iowa. Tuition is $87,000 for classes that include makeup application and pointing at symbols. After six days, they graduate with a dart board and a quarter to flip!”
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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.
