wondering about the weather

with all the forecasting that is being funded and watched on the media. .weather seems to be big business. .and yet we can't do a dang thing about it. .except use a little common sense.. .something which it seems some people are a bit short on these days.

for all the money that is spent on 'warnings and watches' that often make people anxious about things they need not fear, it would be interesting to compare the dollars spent in weather science and coverage as a curiosity, and how many hours of productivity are really lost. case in point: how many people may have either not gone to work today, had classes cancelled, or left early because they feared the weather? How much productivity was lost today simply by people being obsessed with weather reports, and not being able to concentrate on their work?

when will we draw the line between what is reasonable and what is excessive?

those of us who have grown up in Kansas know that when it is lightning or pouring down rain, you don't go outside; but until the rain begins, you can still do your shopping, lawn mowing, and most normal things until the clouds become the warning system. If you aren't out on a lake, then you probably are going to have a chance to seek safety.
we also know that the majority of summer storms roll in at the end of the hot afternoon, and usually occur in the evening or night hours. We also know that a SE wind is usually a sign that something peculiar is blowing (or being sucked) in -- at least in the central part of Kansas and Missouri, that seems to be the norm. these are things I've learned over the years. LM