Wunderground interview

Hostonist has a great interview with Dr. Jeff Masters of Wunderground.com, which is a great resource for all weather and hurricane junkies. Here’s a taste to get you started:

Given the current forecasts and model predictions, what do you expect during the remainder of the 2006 season and how do you see it impacting those of us in Texas?

The steering pattern is unchanged from early June, and favors recurvature out to sea of the major storms born from tropical waves coming off the coast of Africa. For this reason, plus the fact the atmosphere has been dryer and more stable than usual, I expect that we won’t see any major hurricanes affecting the U.S. the remainder of hurricane season. Once we get into the first half of October, we may get one or two tropical storms or perhaps Category 1 hurricanes developing in the Gulf or Mexico or off the Carolina coast from the remnants of old cold fronts that hang out over the warm ocean waters. Developments of this nature usually move north or northeast, so I put the odds of Texas getting a Category 1 or 2 hurricane this season at 30%. The odds of a major hurricane for Texas are perhaps 10%.

[…]

How do you feel about the broadcast media and its impact on storm forecasting, particularly how ad revenues and ratings play into the way storms are reported?

Hurricanes coverage is too sensationalized and over-hyped for my liking. Hurricane have become entertainment. One of these days, a reporter is going to get seriously injured by flying debris. I’ve championed on my blog the idea of having reporters doing their show from a safe place out of the wind, and sending wind-up toys out into wind to be blown away for dramatic effect. TV stations can make a creative and dramatic demonstration of the wind’s power without endangering the lives of reporters. Hurricanes are sensational enough in their own right, and do not need over-dramatization.

Definitely worth your time to read. Check it out.

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