(no subject)

[randomness]

Much of the American national media narrative about this snowstorm went from doomsday prediction to finger pointing within 48 hours. From Boston and New England's point of view this is absurd. There, this storm is still going to be one of the ten biggest recorded snowstorms in history, and anyone minimizing that is a fool.

However, the media narrative is driven by what happened in New York, because that's where the media lives, as well as the fact that it's the biggest city in the United States. So the story covered was about why the forecast was "wrong" and why political leaders had decided to act according to that story and shut down the country's largest city.

One of the forecasters was quoted as saying that they had missed the track by 75 miles. That is still a pretty good weather prediction. But because the predicted track included the tri-state area, the storm actually being 75 miles east of the prediction meant that New York's experience went from "hit by storm" to "grazed by storm". 75 miles moves the snow bands from Central New Jersey to Central Connecticut. It happens that that changes life for around 20 million people.

As I wasn't in New England, I didn't get to watch New England Cable News. I would guess, however, that they didn't spend anywhere near as much time as the national news on the whole debate about the predicted track and New York being missed, and concentrated on the actual story in New England, the snowfall. And if New England were an independent country I would expect media coverage there to look much more like NECN, and the coverage in the neighboring country to concentrate on its own story.

Speaking of neighboring countries, here is the map The Weather Network showed for this storm on Tuesday:


At least on their maps weather doesn't stop at the border!

Comments

[donnad.livejournal.com]

Off by 75 miles is a drop in the bucket with a storm like this one was. A storm like the one we had over the last couple days could have turned in an instant and hit them hard. Weather forecasting technology has advanced so much just in the last 35 years, people shouldn't be complaining. They knew a bad storm was going to hit the northeast, isn't that enough?

Thirty to to 50 years ago, we didn't have any clue what storms were going to hit, where or when, or how bad they would be. Oh they could make predictions, but nothing like today's predictions. That's why we ended up with what happened during the blizzard of '78, with people getting stuck in their cars on the highways and not being prepared for it. People forget what it was like back then. I would rather have them predict doom and have it not happen then for them to predict nothing and be slammed and unprepared for it.

The people of NYC needs to get over themselves. If the weather forecasters hadn't predicted doom and NYC got hit hard, they would be complaining about it just as, if not more, loudly.

[r-ness.livejournal.com]

Off by 75 miles is a drop in the bucket with a storm like this one was.

As I said, it's still a pretty good forecast.

They knew a bad storm was going to hit the northeast, isn't that enough?

Evidently not.

People forget what it was like back then.

Truthfully, a lot of people who are talking about this now weren't alive back then. :)

The people of NYC needs to get over themselves.

I wouldn't be as upset at the people as I would at the media. The people are mostly digging out and going about their lives. The media are pointing fingers and looking for someone to blame.

Which tells me how little the story is about the weather. Now the story I'm hearing is about DeBlasio and Cuomo, and whether they were right to close down the city, and why there wasn't enough plowing in the rich neighborhoods, and that sort of political noise.

[donnad.livejournal.com]

Yep, all about the politics.

[karakara98.livejournal.com]

I am really and truly thankful that the storm did go 75 miles east. What if it had and not only was NYC hit, but Eastern Mass would have gotten more of the winds that hit the Cape.

[karakara98.livejournal.com]

All very good points

[chris-warrior.livejournal.com]

Much of the American national media narrative about this snowstorm went from doomsday prediction to finger pointing within 48 hours.

i'll repeat here what i said on Facebook - every New Yorker should have been thanking God or the weather angels or WHATEVER - just been thankful the storm missed them by 75 miles. the lack of gratitude and all the bitching sort of makes me hope the next one hits them head-on after all.

is the media sensationalizing these types of weather events? yes. but was DeBlasio right to shut down the city JIC?

YES.

(edited to reflect your comment above, both the spelling of DeBlasio and how it may not be people in general, but the media. still. ARG)

[chris-warrior.livejournal.com]

I wouldn't be as upset at the people as I would at the media. The people are mostly digging out and going about their lives. The media are pointing fingers and looking for someone to blame.

Which tells me how little the story is about the weather. Now the story I'm hearing is about DeBlasio and Cuomo, and whether they were right to close down the city, and why there wasn't enough plowing in the rich neighborhoods, and that sort of political noise.

i'm glad people are 'just digging out', but then this makes me want to find the media people who think it's a great idea to make all of this into a game/money-earner/time to bitch, and throw them into a snowbank, buck-naked.

[chris-warrior.livejournal.com]

yes, New England got *very* lucky.