The day began with an hour of shoveling 15 cm (6 in) or more of snow to clear porches and a pathway to the street. While completing these tasks, another 2.5 cm (1 in) fell followed by another 5 cm (2 in) once I got back inside. Then the snow transitioned to rain with a short period of 'hard' rain -- ice pellets and/or freezing rain. There is to be about 15 mm (just over 05 in) of rain before things move back to snow for tomorrow but with small accumulations. Bottom line -- I had to go out twice to try to move some of the slush this evening. It is wet and heavy so it took longer to move tiny bits at a time. I got most of the slush moved but there is some ice under it that will only become larger as the water freezes tomorrow. To battle the ice, I will be out salting tomorrow. <sigh>
This makes four storms in three weeks, three storms being weather bombs. These deep lows see pressure drop 24 millibars in 24 hours. Powerful stuff. <sigh> I had never heard of a weather bomb until I encountered one in late October of my first year living here. It introduced me to the monsoonal rains common to the Atlantic coast climate. When these occur in winter, we often get an extra strong nor'easter. Areas north and west of here are getting much more snow, while areas along the mainland Atlantic coast will get more rain and freezing rain. Determining the track a storm might take involves a lot of computer modeling and forecasts change in the days leading up to such storms and in the hours just ahead. This can create anxiety in those listening to the forecasts. I try to check the information online or with the app rather than listen to the ongoing overstated suppositions verbally, which are often so over the top. Introducing a high level of anxiety to the viewer can lead to people being unable to stop watching. They begin to feel unsafe or threatened. Sadly, this increases viewership and exposure to advertising and such. So, the networks gain far more than viewers. As a media researcher, I understand the way 24-hour news or weather networks need to fill every broadcasting minute, even though there just sin't enough factual information to share. Instead, broadcasters discuss potential outcomes with 'experts' and each other. At best, the information shared uses words like might, maybe, could, and such. But the feeding frenzy of 'what if' takes over and getting off the roller coaster becomes difficult.
The selection of the day is from 2011 -- not that long ago. I began my work in media content analysis in the mid-1990s. The same concerns hold today as they did back in the 1950s with the beginning of the golden age of television. Marshal McLuhan wrote much about the electric communications and more about the future of electronic age -- all written in the 1960s. So, what this isn't anything new or unique. Keep safe. Enjoy!
Selling the News -- Switchfoot
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