"Don't expect as much snow this year"

The crystal ball gazers at the National Weather Service in Sullivan, Wisconsin are predicting weather months into the future again: http://www.jsonline.com/news/milwaukee/33213629.html. Never mind that they cannot accurately predict tomorrow's weather.

After years of working in landscape, I came to trust NWS predictions about as much as I do Madame Zoltar's. In fact, I trust hers more. Yeah, this is one of my pet peeves, a taxpayer funded service that makes useless pronouncements about the future. I remember the "major winter storm" that NWS said was going to hit us a few years back. Their hyperbole reached fever pitch as the system approached. Death and devastation were inevitable. Racine Unified cancelled school. Businesses closed. Everyone hunkered down. And then . . . , nothing. not even a snowflake. Oops, my bad, said the NWS, and then geared up for their next big scare.

Don't get me wrong, I am in favor of a government weather service. The Sullivan NWS forecast for Racine is still my homepage. But ask anyone who works outdoors and they'll tell you that the NWS is more interested in sensationalism and dramatics than they are in accurately predicting the weather. I consider their forecasts to be guidelines for the next 12-24 hours, at best. If my gut tells me differently, I trust that because it has proven to be much more accurate than anything the NWS says.

I know that people consult farmers' almanacs and other sources for predictions about upcoming seasons. Fine. We all want to know what's coming. I mean, just think back to last fall and all those dire predictions from the NWS about the killer winter that was about to blanket us. Remember how they told us that we were going to have a record year for snowfall? Remember how they advised local communities to stock up on salt and snow removal supplies? Remember how well prepared we were for the events of last winter thanks to the predictions of the National Weather Service? Remember? No? Gee, neither do I . . .