Americans are obsessed with daily/hourly weather forecasts.

Memorial Day Weekend
focuses new attention
on cool temperature

Talkin’  ’bout  Bob Turk…
— 1980s weatherization of
the Temptations’  1965 hit
 
By David Maril
 
Why are we Americans so obsessed with television, radio and Internet weather forecasts?

It’s as if we crave details on factors we have no control over. We are so used to being able to customize things any way we want, with all of our technological advances, weather remains an alluring mystery.

When people take trips to getaway places, such as the Eastern Shore, weather forecasts are an even bigger deal during Memorial Weekend and other holidays.

For years, when I was living and working in New England, we used to joke that the meteorologists must be getting paid by the Chamber of Commerce and tourist/travel industry to advertise decent weather even when there was evidence there would be nothing but rain.

We love to complain about the weather; it’s an easy talking point.

I thought the cool, dry and breezy weather at the outset of this Memorial Weekend was perfect. But when I mentioned it to a roofer I know, he said the weather was horrible and too windy for him to get anything done.

Weather and temperature can be even more divisive than politics.

KEEPING THERMOSTATS LOCKED

Most businesses keep the workplace thermostats locked to prevent employees from fighting over regulation of the heat and air-conditioning.

Whether you appreciate the change of seasons or crave a more staid climate, there’s nothing that can be done to influence the weather from day to day. If there’s a warning of precipitation, you know to take an umbrella or wear a raincoat. The bottom line, however, is there’s nothing that can be done to prevent thunderstorms from postponing a picnic, or a hurricane from canceling a fishing trip.

Which isn’t to say there isn’t a need for weather forecasts. When there are threats of turbulent and dangerous conditions, such as the horrific tornado front that recently ravaged parts of Oklahoma, warnings and timely information can save lives. But in most cases, when nothing drastic is on the horizon, a case can be made that too much time and attention is devoted to superficial, overly technical predictions about the weather.

The only local TV and radio news coverage that is expanding as much as the weather segments are the traffic reports. And this is another area we can’t control. You can take every single driving precaution in the world and still become imprisoned in an hour-long traffic jam because another driver was careless or in too much of a hurry, and had an accident.

BEFORE THE WEATHER CHANNEL

For more than 40 years (since 1973), WJZ-TV’s Bob Turk — a weatherman, not a meteorologist — has been bringing “sunshine on a cloudy day” to Baltimore via his daily weather forecast. (With apologies to the Temptations and “My Girl.”)

The forecaster was usually a local staff announcer who had other on-air duties, ranging from hosting a children’s program to the afternoon movie showcase. If the weather report sponsor was a gasoline service station, the weatherman might even wear a gas attendant’s uniform while giving the forecast.

Today, most of the forecasters are meteorologists and are much more reliant on computerized technology. But are they any more accurate than the announcers in the old days? That’s open for debate.

“TALKIN’ ’BOUT BOB TURK, BOB TURK…”

WJZ-TV’s Bob Turk is arguably one of the most trusted weather forecasters in the country and consistently one of the most popular. Last month “The Sunshine Kid” celebrated his 40th anniversary forecasting Baltimore area weather on Channel 13.

One complaint I would make is that too many leave out wind direction from their forecasts.

Often you can learn more practical information from wind direction than the detailed computer model technology. An east wind means fish don’t usually bite. North winds generally bring cooler, dry weather; and if they shift to the northeast, figure on planning indoor activities.

Some things don’t change. If Baltimore has a hot, muggy spring, you’ll hear people say, “If it’s this bad so early, what’s August going to be like?” However that quote is long forgotten if August turns out to be a cool, dry month.

Meteorologists sometimes take themselves too seriously and become overly sensitive to being blamed when bad weather that hasn’t been predicted, occurs. For this reason, in the winter, predictions tend to be more negative and radical if there’s a threat of snow.

THE MERE MENTION OF POSSIBLE SNOW

The thinking is it’s better for less snow than predicted instead of an audience caught by surprise. Combined with the traditional fear that Maryland drivers display when even just a few snowflakes are sighted, schools and most offices close at even the mere mention of possible snow.

As much as we complain about the inconveniences from a few days of snow and rain or the discomfort of stifling, muggy summer weather, we are actually pretty lucky here in Maryland. We’re usually spared the devastation of severe hurricanes and tornadoes and are not often threatened by earthquakes. We will probably never experience the devastation of a tsunami and we don’t have the type of rain and mudslides that threaten homes in Southern California.

Again, we have to ask that with so little local weather news of importance, why is there such a big deal with expanding forecasts? The only conclusion to be drawn is, if so many people here believe the weather is one of our big challenges and threats, this must be a peaceful place to live.
 
davidmaril@hermanmaril.com
 
Editor’s note:  For the benefit of Voice of Baltimore’s youthful readers —  For many years WJZ-TV (Channel 13) ran a catchy on-air promotion beginning in the early 1980s for its daily weather forecast focusing on local favorite Bob Turk (a/k/a “The Sunshine Kid”), with musical accompaniment from the Temptations’ 1965 No. 1 hit, “My Girl” — written and produced by Smokey Robinson and Ronald White of the Miracles — which contains the lyrics, “I’ve got sunshine on a cloudy day; When it’s cold outside, I’ve got the month of May…,” leading to the question, “I guess you’d say, What can make me feel this way?” the answer being, “My girl… Talkin’ ’bout my girl, my girl…,” which WJZ adapted as: “Talkin’ ’bout Bob Turk, Bob Turk…”  The re-dubbed lyrics were recorded by a Baltimore group called the Soft Tones that sounded as if they were actually being sung by the Temptations themselves.
 
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