6 1/2 Minutes of hope

Turn on the local news and you will hear terms like closures, drug deals, crashes, murders, and deepening crises. But in the midst of this doomsday broadcast you can cling to a lifeline of hope:  there are six and a half minutes allotted to the weather forecast.

forecast

Photo courtesy depositphotos: used with permission

If the world really was going to hell in a hand basket, could they allow that kind of time for something so mundane?

I have a lot of respect for meteorologists who have studied hard and understand the difference between a storm outlook, watch, warning, and advisory. Besides explaining subtle weather terminology how exactly do they fill these riveting 6 1/2 minutes?

  • Reviewing the weather that already happened: Since we lived through it, I can only imagine that this breaking news must be for mindless people or those who work nights.
  • Teaching moment: Surface pressures, colliding fronts, and air movement patterns are painstakingly explained. This is when I  lose my battle to pay attention and start reading Facebook updates.
  • Commercial break: I snap to attention, knowing the promise of prediction is right around the corner.
  • Range of Possibilities: I am hoping for a straight answer but get percentages and ‘what if’ scenarios. “If this northeast front moves in we could have 18 inches of snow. If it shifts eastward then we will have a dusting and heavy snows dumped on Canada.”
  • Five-Day Forecast: For a split second I see each day’s probable weather and temperature. Hopefully I’ve torn my eyes away from my iPad long enough to catch this long-awaited punch line.
  • Wind Chill: For some reason this segment is only included during winter months to show us how our temperatures dip below zero with wind factored in. Frankly I’d like to see this on a 90 degree summer day, so we would know how much that southwest breeze is cooling things off.

I’m feeling pretty good about today. It’s cold but a ‘dry cold,’ and according to the morning weather person due to the height of the sun this time of year it’s not ‘bitterly cold.”  This news along with a fresh new car battery and God’s grace, gives me the confidence to separate myself from my down comforter and face another day.

But another boost to my optimistic outlook is the reality that weather still holds its prominent position in the news line up, keeping bad news in its place.

How do you find hope when catching up on the news?

©2016, Stevens. All rights reserved.
Molly Stevens

About Molly Stevens

Molly Stevens arrived late to the writing desk but is forever grateful her second act took this direction instead of adult tricycle racing or hoarding cats. She was raised on a potato farm in northern Maine, where she wore a snowsuit over both her Halloween costume and her Easter dress.