Columbus Weather; Winter is Here

Ahh, nothing like posting the weather. But here it is for when I look back many years from now... just as a reminder.

If you don't want to read it, I'll sum it up real quick... cold in the 20s. Snow. For the next 4 months. I love it. BRING IT!

Tonight
Mostly cloudy until early morning...then becoming partly cloudy. Very light snow or flurries this evening. Lows 15 to 20. Northwest winds 15 to 20 mph with gusts up to 30 mph. Chance of measurable snow 50 percent.

Tuesday
Partly sunny. Highs in the mid 20s. Northwest winds 5 to 10 mph.

Tuesday Night
Mostly clear. Lows around 15. North winds around 5 mph...becoming southeast after midnight.

Wednesday
Partly sunny in the morning...then becoming mostly cloudy. Highs in the mid 30s. Southeast winds 5 to 10 mph.

Wednesday Night
Cloudy. Snow likely...mainly after midnight. Light snow accumulation possible. Warmer with lows around 30. South winds 5 to 10 mph. Chance of snow 60 percent.

Thursday
Cloudy. A chance of snow in the morning...then a chance of rain in the afternoon. Highs in the upper 30s. Chance of precipitation 50 percent.

Thursday Night
Cloudy with a 30 percent chance of snow. Lows in the upper 20s.

New Years Day
Cloudy with a 40 percent chance of snow showers. Cooler with highs in the upper 20s.

Friday Night and Saturday
Mostly cloudy with a 30 percent chance of snow showers. Lows around 15. Highs around 20. Wind chill values as low as zero.

Saturday Night through Sunday Night
Mostly cloudy. Lows 10 to 15. Highs in the lower 20s.

Monday
Mostly cloudy. A chance of snow showers in the afternoon. Unseasonably cool with highs in the mid 20s. Chance of snow 30 percent.

Weather Round Two

Last year I just about lost my mind with the local weather people here in Columbus. I know some of my frustration comes with the region. I love snow, always have. I don't mind the cold. I grew up in the mountains. However, I spent a good part of a decade in North Carolina. Where snow is rare, and temps below 20 are even rarer. So the winter here does drag after a bit.

It's just getting started up here, and I'm trying to get use to that fact. But one thing, ONE THING, I'm not going to get use to is the incorrect forecasting. Not just a little wrong, a lot wrong. So, anyway, the 'First Warning' team over at Fox 28 is calling for 2" of snow tomorrow morning. We'll see Mr. Martz, we. shall. see.

Over on NBC Jym Ganahl is teasing me with his forecast... waiting... COME ON! While we are waiting, let me just say that NBC 4 here in Columbus was terrible in their predictions last year. Even when making predictions made in the morning for that afternoon's weather they were wrong. For the couple weeks I watched them they could have predicted rain every day and got it right more then what they did. Their temps weren't just off they had a variance of 20 degrees. In other words it could have been 32 that day or 52. Whatever... Alright, we are back... give it to me Jym... ok. Snow all day, same as Fox 28... wait a bigger snow on Wednesday!? Tomorrow. Focus Jym... 1-3" inches 20 degrees. I got you.

7 degrees on Friday. Wonderful.

I DIDN'T FORGET ABOUT YOU WEATHER HACKS

Welp, a week has passed since I documented the weather predictions of our local stations... the results are in.

Not pretty, I wonder what an exceptible range is according to industry standards.

ABC6 was 4.8 degrees off every day
NBC4 was 4.75 off
10TV was 5 off

One thing to note is that NBC bumps the heat happiness. They call it too warm. ABC and 10TV call it colder then normal.

Now calling for precipitation is where they hacks are wrong. NBC4?! what? Just don't call for any thing to happen, you'd get it right more.

% of times right:

10TV - 50% right
ABC6 - 33%
NBC4 - 25% (are you kidding me

Conclusion: Yeah, I'm shutting this down. I have lots more data and different ways to look at the data. I mean, it's weather, the one thing I learned from all this is that with so many ways to look at the weather there may be a reason to justify the amount of time it gets on local news. I work in an industry where mountains of data has to be analysed, but it pales in comparison to weather.

What I've confirmed is that they don't get it right on a day to day basis. Even with their daily updates (which puts them off even more). Being off 5 degrees everyday is poor and looking at it again, none of them ever actually called it right any day during the week. ABC was 1 degree off on Wed... almost!!! but you were 9 degrees too warm the day before, too bad. Whatever! Christ! I'm done. May I never think of this again, and now may you always know that there is a 10 degree range when you get the weather.

NBC calling for 45 today? Well, hell that means somewhere between 40 and 50! WEATHER!!!