Poor Weather Forcast/Storm Teams

[kerry1379]

As Hurricane Milton approaches and I watch it on the news, I feel bad for the weather teams that are reporting while out in the storm. Is it really necessary for them to be out IN it? I mean put them in front of a window and I'll believe it is as bad as they are saying.

 

[_19disnA]

I do know the Weather Channel has been criticized in the past for purposely standing somewhere that tends to make the storm look as bad as possible when 180 degrees behind them it looked totally different. I watched a bit of the Florida hurricane coverage this evening and agree with you that the 24 hr non-stop coverage seems a bit over the top for me. One guy was standing in some parking garage showing how the water was rising while another was standing in the open with the wind howling in his face. Standing out in the open during a hurricane seems needlessly dangerous since you easily get hit by flying debris.

While I think the weather coverage ahead of these storms is good to create awareness and encourage people to make plans/evacuate/etc., the live/never-ending coverage is a bit much and doesn't accomplish much. If you live there you should have already evacuated and if you haven't by now it is too late/dangerous to be on the roads that are rapidly flooding.

During one of the other recent hurricanes, some of those broadcasting seemed to have NO idea where they were and talked like they just showed up and someone handed them a microphone to broadcast live. One of them was in some parking lot of a hotel and didn't even know how far they were from the ocean. What that accomplished I had NO idea.

After the storm has passed there will likely again be days of coverage when the reporter stands next to a pile of rubble and goes on about how bad the storm was. What purpose that serves isn't clear to me either.

 

[DCLMP]

I think the opposite of pp. The weather people stand where it's less severe so they don't get injured. I watch the coverage and it doesn't seem that bad to me and then the next day you see the arial view of the devastation and it's shocking. Tomorrow will probably be shocking.
I remember watching the coverage of Katrina thinking it was a nothing burger. New Orleans dodged a bullet, but then the levees broke and OMG... plus the destruction in Alabama. You just never know. I didn't think Helene was going to do what it did.

 

[NotUrsula]

Anderson Cooper decided to personally go down to report on Milton. He got sideswiped by part of a falling palm tree on the Bradenton waterfront.

Usually local stations put the new kids on "go stand in the rain" duty. I think it's considered something of a right of passage to have to work stand-up segments in bad weather.

 

[TiggerTrigger]

These people are not just going out into storms because the boss said so...they want to do it. If you shift your perspective to thinking of them more as adrenaline craving storm chasers (vs. weather people being put out on location), it starts to make more sense.

Have conditions been exaggerated at times? Sure. I remember Cantore being in town for Hurricane Rita back in 2005 and there was next to nothing going on here. He kept talking all dramatically but it was a non-event for our area (thankfully!!!). That said, we were just west of people who faced horrible damage.

As for the non-stop coverage...if it's my area or my family's area, I like it. Granted, I spend more time following a Tampa area storm chaser, but these storms have all kinds of wiggles and wobbles that can make significant last minute differences. So, I like seeing if the experts are seeing what I'm seeing as I pore over models and satellite movements.

 

[sam_gordon]

A couple of notes. While I haven't covered hurricanes, I've read and talked to those who have.
1) The "smart" crews will find a building in the shape of an L, or ideally a cross. When the hurricane is approaching, they setup in the NE(?) corner of the building. So while you see the destruction behind the reporter, behind the camera could be "safe". After eye passes, then they move to the SW(?) corner. I might have my directions mixed up, but you get the idea.
2) Most (95%+?) of the stations are owned by groups. Those groups will "recruit" staff from other markets to come down and help report, shoot, produce, edit, direct, etc to get the shows on the air. Yes, the reporters should/could do some research, but it's also possible they show up, and get sent immediately out into the area to do their report. So it hasn't "sunk in" where they are/how far from the beach.
3) As far as "why"? Television is a visual medium. Viewers want to SEE what's happening. And "a picture says a thousand words". "Well, just have a camera out there". Of course, that still requires a camera operator. You could put a remote camera somewhere, but you have to A) hope that location is a "visual" location and B) hope that location maintains power and connectivity. A physical crew can move somewhere else if one location is bad.

 

[Dead2009]

As someone said earlier in the thread, they like going out and covering extreme weather like this. They know how to place themselves in certain situations and I'm sure they know how to get themselves out of them. Jim Cantore last night was literally in a parking garage watching and waiting to see how high the water was going to get. If they didn't think they didn't have an escape route for whatever, they wouldn't do it.