In message , Graham P Davis
writes
hudson wrote:



I do apologise if this has been mentioned before but I am starting to get
very frustrated by weather forecasts on the BBC saying " temperatures will
be about average for the time of year "

1 This assumes that I have a table of averages to hand
2 This assumes I am a meteorologist with a good knowledge of regional
averages
3 This assumes I am a meteorologist with a bad memory but a list of tables
to hand
4 Assumes I am too stupid to understand a scientific scale of any sort
5 Assumes I am too stupid to care

Racked off


1. No. It assumes you have a memory for what average June temperatures feel
like. It's the same as the use of such terms as "warm", "cool" etc.
2. No. See (1)
3. Ditto.
4. Possibly. Would a member of the public prefer to be told that the
temperature will be 15 degrees or that it will be warm, cold, whatever?
Would the temperature on its own mean much to them?
5. No.

However, given the cavalier way that the Met Office presenters now use such
descriptions of temperature, when a mild day is described as cold, my
personal preference is for temperatures to be included.


"Average" is probably a more meaningful description than "warm", "cold"
etc as the latter are very much dependent on the individual (even though
some are defined on the Met Office website). My idea of a "comfortable"
summer temperature is about 12 deg C cooler than what my daughter
considers comfortable :-) Very difficult to cope with differences like
that in a weather forecast.

Norman.
(delete "thisbit" twice to e-mail)
--
Norman Lynagh Weather Consultancy
Chalfont St Giles 85m a.s.l.
England