National Weather Service Knew about Low Snow - and Didn't Change Its Forecast

News broke this afternoon that the National Weather Service knew that the northeast snow fall would likely be a lot less than predicted yesterday, but decided not to adjust or correct its widely forecast earlier predictions of a foot or two of snow, so as not to "confuse" the public.

Although the Weather Service no doubt meant well, I agree completely with The Washington Post that this was a "poor" decision.

Indeed, I would say that, especially in this age of fake news and its attendant crises, a deliberate decision by a scientific or governmental agency to not tell the truth to the public is a very poor decision - an horrendous decision.   We the public need to have confidence in our institutions and what they tell us, and especially so when so many deliberate lies, masquerading as truth, pollute our information stream.

A deliberately false report in the interest of helping the public also plays right into the hands of Trump and his minions, who like to cry "fake news" whenever they encounter a news report not to their liking.

One of the best ways of countering this vexing problem is The National Weather Service, and all scientific and governmental agencies upon which we rely, telling us the truth, or as much as they know about it, whenever they can.

Snow, Pleasure, and Paradox

Just got back from swimming 20 laps at the New York Sports Club, with the snow falling dangerously and beautifully outside the big windows.  In many ways, this strikes me as one of the heights of civilization.

My take on the snow has changed over the years.  When I was kid, it was nothing but a pleasure to get off from school, have snowball fights on the streets off Allerton Avenue in the Bronx, and even shoveling was an opportunity to earn a couple of bucks, usually less, but hey.

Now, as a professor, I still don't mind classes being cancelled, but that can sometimes come with the price of having to make them up near the end of the term, usually a sunny day in May.   As for shoveling, it's no longer a source but a drain on money, especially in a big storm in which we pay someone to do the shoveling.

And the snow itself?  It still has a magic, an expression of reality, of soft interaction with sky, that's inimitable.  A snowflake is itself a paradox to touch, because the touching wipes it out, obliterates the texture, and thus is a great example of a self-eradicating proposition.   But the snowstorm is no paradox, and about as straightforward as it gets.

Driving in the snow is certainly no pleasure, but there's an exhilaration in that too, as you best the elements in your trip back home, or wherever.   Front wheel cars have made driving in the snow a lot less dangerous, and my wife's four-wheel drive is a safe bet in everything but a blizzard.

Power outages and falling trees are real dangers, and that's where I pretty much draw the line about my enjoyment of a big snow.   If we get through this one without any loss of power, I'll count this first big snow of 2015 a blizzard worth experiencing.



Ft. Tryon Park, NYC,  in yesterday's snow, photo by Emon Hassan