I admire a recent writer’s loyalty to his local TV meteorologists (Letter to the editor, “Most Weather forecasts are all wet,” Sept. 20). He has followed and trusted weathercasters “over the years” even though he claims they “are wrong about 80 percent of the time.” He should assume the opposite of their forecasts; then he’d be correct 80 percent of the time. Problem solved.
Of course, meteorologists are not “wrong” 80 percent of the time. National Weather Service verification statistics, available online, show short-term forecast accuracies of 80 to 90 percent and steadily improving. Unfortunately, statements like “80 percent wrong,” which blatantly conflict with the facts, have become typical strategies of some who dispute all sorts of realities like climate change, COVID vaccine efficacy and verified election results. (And calling your target “idiots,” or worse, is a common accessory tactic.)
I do sympathize with the writer’s wish for more localized forecasts, however. While TV meteorologists don’t have time to give different hour-by-hour forecasts for every town, NWS online forecasts provide that very service.
Bill (Eric) Danielson
Chebeague Island
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