Weather Forecaster An Idiot!

[Red Baron]

Over and over again they prove that their forecasting abilities are 50% meteorology, 50% hocus pocus/guess. Last night they forecast a low of 33, and the low always comes just after sunrise, so I knew if they missed it by a few degrees I'd still have time to turn on my blow down when I got there at 4:30am. When I got up this morning it was 20 degrees! When will I learn?!?! Side spinners and shower heads are frozen at both locations - will take at least the morning to get things thawed.

New policy: Turn on blow down every evening until spring. If I wear out the compressor, I wear out the compressor.

 

[Earl Weiss]

I am in Chicago. I have had a standing offer for 30 years to bet agaainst the weatherman for a year if anyone is willing to bet with him. I offer a 5 degree error margin oon high and low temps.

Don't even start with X% chance of rain / snow.

 

[madscientist]

my favorite is when the weatherman says it's going to rain all week...."don't bother washing your car anytime soon".

 

[rph9168]

In our area the weather forecast seems to change at least hourly. Sometimes I think all they do is look out the window.

However, a long time ago in Phoenix they had an eccentric weatherman named Dewey Hopper. During a broadcast he said that in one city there was hail "as big as goose balls and golf eggs". The crew was laughing so hard it took almost 5 minutes before they could continue. At least the weather forecast was entertaining that day.

 

[Waxman]

I always keep blow down on. The compressor is built to run!!! My new philosophy is to wear things out in life, to use them up! Whether it's clothes, work boots or machinery, I want to really use some stuff up. Not abuse it and fail to maintain, but good ol' burning through things! Like farmers do.

I've actually been amazed lately at the accuracy of the forecast in my area.

However, I'd rather they say:'partly sunny' than 'partly cloudy', etc. IMO the forecast focuses too much on cold temps and precip., even when the chance of precip is 30% and the chance of no precip is 70%!!!

 

[Washmee]

Just like the news, in todays world if it bleeds it leads. The more they can hype the weather, the more the public might watch their programs. It used to be that if there was severe weather they would put a crawler on the screen, now we get ones for windchill and winds. What a joke. I am becoming more convinced that part of what is plaguing our industry is alarmist weather forecasting.

 

[Waxman]

Luckily, there are customers who are not tuned in to forecasts. You know, the ones there washing on Tuesday when 12" snow is predicted Wednesday!

 

[Chiefs]

The question is whom are more worthless, weathermen or the United States Congress?

 

[Bubbles Galore]

If it's a choice between A or B, I will take C.

 

[BillClinton]

Does your blow down work on your triple foam shower heads too? I have a D&S 5000 and there is no blow down for the triple foam. When it gets cold, they just freeze up if I don't use methanol.

 

[newy]

I have the biggest idiot in Philly who says on air every time it's going to rain that mother nature will wash your car for ya! I actually email him to tell him that he was an idiot and he never responded. I do not watch him that much anymore but I have not heard him say that since my email.

 

[madscientist]

the chances of seeing rain in the future are much greater with today's 7-10 day "forecasts" than they were with the 3 day "forecasts" we had 10 years ago.

 

[JJJakubowski]

....

I've actually been amazed lately at the accuracy of the forecast in my area. However, I'd rather they say:'partly sunny' than 'partly cloudy', etc. ....

Actually, the very best phrase to use instead of "party cloudy" would be "MOSTLY SUNNY!" That phrase is not only a benefit to carwashers, it is more accurately descriptive and much better understood by the public.

There have been operators who have petitioned their local media meteorologists to use "Mostly Sunny" (instead of the old "Partly Cloudy") and a fair number of those weathermen & gals have gotten the message and cooperated. So while "everybody talks about the weather", there is (kinda sorta) something you can "do about it".

JJJ/SSCWN
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The Poster Formerly Known

 

[Waxman]

JJJ

I like your attitude. I'll start w/my local radio station. I know the guys and advertise with them. I'll see if they do it. Can't hurt to ask!

 

[Washmee]

JJ, waxman, good luck on that one. No body ever complains if they forecast "Partly Cloudy", but if the forecast is for "Mostly Sunny" it leaves the door open for complaints.

 

[MEP001]

The worst forecast I remember was some years ago when they proclaimed a sunny, mid-70's day, so we all showed up for work wearing jeans, short-sleeve shirt and a light, uninsulated jacket. By 10 am it got completely overcast, the wind cranked up to 20 mph and the temp dropped to 26? and stayed below freezing all day. We would have to spend five minutes at a time outside with only a couple minutes indoors between to warm up.

 

[Red Baron]

Does your blow down work on your triple foam shower heads too? I have a D&S 5000 and there is no blow down for the triple foam. When it gets cold, they just freeze up if I don't use methanol.

Yes, my showerheads have blowdown.

 

[dclark3344]

Red baron,
I put a thermosat on the blow down control with the bulb hanging out the bay wall, this way the blow down control comes on only as needed.

I was so sick of one of the drama queen weather men that I kept emailing the STATION MANAGER and writing into news segment "The Rant". I did not only approach it from an attended carwash operator, I also included many of the discussions of my customer base contractors, trucking companies (gravel and Dirt), farmers, athletes, carpenters, and painters. I pointed out how counter productive their gloom and doom forcast have been when it was DRY and sunny, we have lost much revenue when we followed the drama queens guidance and have ALL stopped even using their weather forcast for that reason. I also purchased an enclosed bulleting board and was going to start a chart for each stations 7 day forcast and a weighted grading scale IF they did not take drastic measures to get more accurate forcast and improve his presentation or get rid of him. I also told them that I would go to all the other stations and newspapers to show them my findings. They did improve their presentation and took him from 6 PM and 10 PM and he does the mornings now. I stated there is no other business in the world that could be run that poorly and still survive, that was before AIG, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.

 

[JJJakubowski]

As Bob Dylan (and America's favorite domestic terrorist, Bill Ayers) said, "You don't need to be a weatherman to know which way the wind blows."

But folks do follow the leads the media provide. And here's a link to a TV weatherguy who seems to have it right:

www.wmur.com/askthemeteorologist/2856449/detail.html

If your local media weathergoons are doom 'n gloomers: hey, squeaky wheels do get greased ... especially if they're advertisers ... or potential advertisers ... or even just persistent "squeaky" squawkers.

I remember back in '87 when NBC's weatherman Willard Scott was the keynote speaker at the ICA Expo in Nashville. He got an earful of complaints from carwashers about the "partly cloudy vs. mostly sunny" thing. And subsequently he actually did tweak his reports to be more carwash friendly ... and on occasions would even encourage people to have their cars washed professionally.

JJJ/SSCWN
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The Poster Formerly Known

 

[Red Baron]

Red baron,
I put a thermosat on the blow down control with the bulb hanging out the bay wall, this way the blow down control comes on only as needed.

But the blowdown won't come on until someone uses the bay after the thermostat says it's cold enough, right? I froze up big time for that reason when my wash was new because I turned on the blowdown but nobody used the bay that night so it didn't cycle.