Consider This: You are a victim of weather hype

I grew up in East San Diego under the flat roof of a second-story apartment building where I could open my west-facing bedroom window and hear the wind blowing, and every drop of rain that fell on that blessed roof. 

Bundled up and warm, it became a lifelong source of comfort which I still enjoy today. But it was never enough. San Diego averages 9 inches of rain annually, but Ramona gets twice as much.

So, when I acquired the means, I bought some land in Ramona and built a house with lots of windows and a storm porch so I could enjoy the “symphony” of the rain. 

People tend to desire the weather they don’t have. Southern Californians would enjoy a Minnesota white Christmas and North Dakota folks would covet a California heat wave in December. But that is not going to happen. 

However, those desires make us vulnerable to “weather hype.”

Personally, I’m sick and tired of blue sky and sunshine, which is inexplicable to frostbit northerners, but makes me even more susceptible to “weather hype.”  Let me explain.

Television stations earn money based on ratings. The more viewers they have, the higher rates they can charge for their commercials. So, it behooves TV stations to attract viewers based on the stories they broadcast regardless of the accuracy of the content.

The ratings for local news segments are often dependent on the prurient nature of their stories, as they say, if it bleeds it leads. Local sports segments draw a larger audience when the local teams are doing well. 

But the ratings for San Diego weather forecasts are a problem child. How can local TV stations attract an audience for blue sky and sunshine? Simple, they exaggerate. They tell us what we want to hear and they’ve been doing it for 50 years.

All the years I’ve relied on San Diego’s televised weather forecasts, I’ve been conned by “weather hype.”

See if this scenario sounds familiar: On Monday morning, all local television stations mimic the same forecast. They say that this coming Wednesday, San Diego will be hit by a REALLY BIG STORM. There will be 2-3 inches of rain along the coast, 4-5 inches in the foothills and mountains and a strong chance of thunderstorms and lightning!

So what do we viewers do? We dutifully boost weather ratings by tuning in to prepare for the REALLY BIG STORM. Then on Tuesday morning, the con artists report in unison, that the storm is growing weaker and we are expecting 1 inch of rain along the coast and maybe 2 inches in the foothills and mountains, but no mention of thunder and lightning.

Then comes Wednesday morning, the day the REALLY BIG STORM is supposed to arrive. The forecasters then announce that the storm has changed directions and we are only expecting light rain.  

So what has happened? A minor storm was blown out of proportion by design to increase television ratings, and you and I got “weather hyped.” As evidence for my assertion, ask yourself how many times have local forecasters predicted a minor storm that turned out to be a monster. The answer is zero because that doesn’t fit the game plan.

Actual storms will attract viewership without exaggeration. It is the minor storms that need to be falsely exaggerated to increase ratings.  As they say, follow the money.   

Dan Summers is a trustee for the Ramona Unified School District. His views are his own.