Weather or Not

Isn’t there a certain irony when the weatherman predicts a storm it rarely happens and when he doesn’t, the skies open up and we get dumped upon?  It never ceases to amaze me that with all the double-dopplers out in the world our predictors of sun, sleet and snow cannot seem to get it right.  Better yet, I particularly love when you hear over the radio that there is a 20% chance of snow and you look out the window to whiteout conditions… go figure.

I don’t really blame these fine fellows and weather bunnies.  I, myself, go to three different websites, check two morning newspapers, listen to the radio and check the local TV channel to see if I can coalesce what the day holds in temperature, climate and precipitation.  I fantasize of a predictable weather day when two of my sources coincide, and savor if three are in alignment (which would be a dream come true).  I couldn’t even imagine if four or more resources jived – it would almost be too much for me to bear.  At night my channel clicking leads me to the Weather Channel with the “locals on the eights” and ponder how these deacons of wit and wisdom stay jovial and upbeat in the eye of a storm.  Their prudence is mind-boggling, yet their wardrobes and friendly banter can let a bit of their personality peak out which sometimes can take my focus away from the task at hand – the search for weather truth.

I forge ahead… bundled with my climatic knowledge I go onward into cyberspace in search of which weather prognostication is right.  I delve breathlessly into satellite maps with color-enhanced imagery.  I ponder the atmospheric conditions in a METEOSAT Infrared pictogram and allow my palms to get sweaty with desire.  Radar systems that can be put into motion with long and short range loops encourage me to escalate reflectivity to heights I never imagined possible.  As the pertinent weather evidence is combed through and the facts are amalgamated I have learned to keep my eagerness in check.  Some websites titillate and entice with extended forecasts; I cannot even go there, I am more of a day-to-day, current conjecture type of girl wanting instantaneous climate gratification and promises of predictions of luscious snowfalls or balmy luminous days.

Perhaps my quest for the ultimate weather truth began years ago when living in Chicago and dressing according to the daily weather was essential.  With lake effect snows occurring with little warning or wind chills dropping to seventy below and whipping so quickly around a corner it took your breath away, if you weren’t prepared the consequences were brutal.  Besides, walking down Michigan Avenue in a full-length fur (which was politically correct back then) with knee high leather boots, a darling hat and appropriate gloves made me look and feel like a million bucks.  Or, maybe it’s about the anticipation of a cold winter night and of snuggling with my family by the fire, drinking hot chocolate with marshmallows, dressed in my red plaid flannel jammies and looking forward to the holidays.  Now that’s what the correct prediction of a good snowstorm is all about!

Cynthia A. McClelland, curious observer of the obvious with interpretations of the oddities of daily life. Mother, wife and lover of the furry, resides in the north Lake Tahoe area.

Cynthia A. McClelland © 2003-