Weather (or not)

            Can’t speak for your weekend, and God knows I’m glad the weather turned out nice, but when you're farming, weather is everything, thus watching local forecasts is a regular part of the routine. But anymore, I’m starting to wonder why.

            Yes, climate change is in the air, and Doppler technology (so we're told) is keeping us all safe and forewarned…

            But is anybody out there tracking the hits and misses of our weather forecasts these days?

            (I'm thinking if we did, it would make weather-watching a lot more entertaining!)

            I once did weather for a living, and it was, without a doubt, one of the toughest jobs I ever had, (and this without a meteorological degree). Back in the day weather anchors were hired more for friendly banter than anything scientific…very few were actual meteorologists. Maintaining “happy patter” was first priority. Being able to memorize all the states while pointing at them backwards in front of a blank wall was a close second. Today's weather gigs require serious degrees and are far tougher to come by, I'm told, though I have to wonder, "Has all our technology made us any more accurate?"
            Forecast after weekend forecast, I watched radar screens with green frog-like splatters all over the map, some even directly over my little neck of the woods. Outside my door, not a cloud in the sky. Just made me wonder if something maybe got caught in a loop and we were looking at old footage? (Could your dopplar possibly need a reboot?)
            In the brief (2 year) chapter of what was my weather career, I came to appreciate the elements. Thanks to Bill Hall and his fishing show, I grew to understand the difference between a low pressure front and a high pressure front, and I developed a healthy respect for storm season. On the other hand, I once wore a cheerleading uniform while doing the weather and for several weeks, held goat in my arms while pointing at a map.

            Fast forward 20 years and farming has me taking weather more seriously than ever, and yet for all the new-fangled fancy equipment and pinpoint technology I'm beginning to wonder how far we've come. We accept 5-day forecasts like their gospel truth, and yet I've never once seen someone go back five days later and cross check to see who actually got it right. 

            Case in point: This past weekend, predictions were 80% rain chances all across the board, and serious storms on the horizon…

            Instead we got picture perfect weather and no rain at all… (My apologies to the man who was gonna dig my well for postponing.)

            Don’t get me wrong…

            Mothers across Tennessee deserved perfect weather for their weekend, and those Steeplechase attendees were probably happy they didn't need those galoshes and umbrellas after all. 

            But when it comes to long term predictions, I'll take cob webs and corn husks over 5-day forecasts any day.