Open Letter to the Overeager Meteorologists of Philadelphia
Dear Sirs and Madams:
While I realize that reporting and forecasting the weather is not always interesting and is not always accurate, I want you to know that every time you predict afternoon thunderstorms, I end up driving instead of biking, costing me at least $10.00 in gasoline.
Unfortunately, for the past three weeks, you have been predicting rain incorrectly, nearly every day except for last week’s heatwave. However, as the heatwave broke, you again collectively predicted violent thunderstorms. There were none.
That was the case again this morning, yet here we are at 4:34 PM, with no rain. I could have gone to the pool after work, but left my trunks at home: it was, after all, to have rained today. I could have ridden my bike to work, but I chose to drive: I didn’t want to get caught in a violent thunderstorm. Funny: it’s never just “passing showers” or “localized rain”, but always “violent downpours.” Wishes, my friends, are not ponies. Please, ditch the apocalyptic forecasting, or at the very least, provide context: Philly’s a big city covering a lot of area. We expect rain in Northwest Philadelphia, but Center City should remain dry. Rain and thunderstorms in Fishtown/Kensington, but if you live in University City, you should be OK.
Please rein in your theatrical instincts, or I will be forced to send you the bill for my next tank of gas.
Thank you.
Brendan Skwire
UPDATE: It’s 12:06 AM, no rain yet. Admit it, you “meterologists” are basically soothsayers. It’s not a real profession, anymore than reading tarot cards or phrenology. You’re making it up as you go along.
3 Responses to “Open Letter to the Overeager Meteorologists of Philadelphia”
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August 7th, 2006 at 11:13 pm
LOL
Hey man, I’m not sure of the summer storm story in Rhode Island, but in Philly any hot & humid day could unleash powerful storms anywhere in the area. Especially if there is a front or weather change coming through.
So what you really need to do is tow your van with your bike, that way you can put the bike in the van if it does rain…
August 8th, 2006 at 5:43 pm
Yesterday, @ 9p or so while watching horror movies with Dreya, I looked out the window and saw lightning heading slowly our way. It gained in intensity, spreading out across the sky and in fact, the lightning could be soon arcing through the clouds not by actually seeing the bolts themselves, but by following the lit up parts of the clouds as the lightning scrolled through the clouds.
The clouds were huge and ominous looking. The thunder was building in intensity, the room lit up every other second as flashes of lightning filled the night darkness.
But yep, no rain. Not even a drop.
August 8th, 2006 at 9:34 pm
Ryan when are we kegging??