Dear Editor,
Perhaps it was the several inches of rain which was dumped over Guyana last Saturday but of course we did not receive such a prediction or report from the Ministry of Agriculture’s weather reporting division. Why am I not surprised?
Inaccurate weather reporting is still the order of the day even though the multi-million dollar Doppler Radar has been mounted at Hyde Park in Timehri.
The El Nino phenomenon seems to have given way to the much anticipated Christmas rains, which are on time just one day short of the unofficial start of the Christmas season (November 1).
Can we ever get it right with the weather in Guyana? It being the start of the final rainy season for this year, Guyanese would be very interested to know what will be the daily occurrences especially now that there will be extreme weather on many days for the rest of the year.
Is the Doppler radar in operation? Is it being used to disseminate the current spate of inaccurate weather reporting? Are there trained personnel to interpret and report data from this radar? When and will Guyanese be able to view and interpret live data from the Doppler Radar for themselves as is currently the case with the Met Office’s website(http:// www.hydromet.gov.gy/weather.html)?
When will TV and radio newscasts stop reporting erroneous weather forecasts? Does Guyana even have a trained Meteorologist from the American Meteorological Society (AMS)?
If we cannot get accurate weather reporting right here at home, then who or where else in the world do we expect to be accurate?
Yours faithfully,
Leon Jameson Suseran
Weather prediction is never 100% accurate because of something called chaos in nature – small changes in initial value conditions of temperature, humidity,sunlight, etc etc, can affect the outcome (weather) in very large ways that not even a multi-million Doppler radar and Deep Blue computer can predict. The best we can hope for is an approximate prediction of the weather 1 week in advance – very approximate.
Even north america you get inaccurate weather predictions, Guyana is not the only place.
You’re right about this one, this time.
Mr Hackette, I expected a better viewpoint from you. You and I both know that NCN Radio, NCN TV, VCT, LRTV and all the other newscasts’ weather reports all differ from each other. LRTV reports scattered thunderstorms, NCN reports sunshine at Govenor Falls (who the heck cares about the weather at Govenor Falls)? VCT reports “mostly fair weather”…this all encompasses inaccuracy in weather reporting and it is indicative of the poor knowledge and/or equipment available to interpret the weather. You better believe, Mr Hackette, USA and other nations have pretty darn up-to-the-minute accurate forecasts. If they say so and so will happen, so and so will happen; all with the use of a Dopple Digital Radar. Sir, we have such a radar now and yet we are having inaccurate reports…Shall I say more?
Leon, I know physics, maths and stats. And the reason for the not 100% accuracy of weather forecasting. Too long and too technical for this forum.
this guy has noting to complain about. Guyana has either rain or sun what more this guy want. What extreme weather he talking about?
Come on James, Guyana needs to have snow, hail, sleet and freezing rain to receive an accurate weather forecast?
A good weather report is important since Guyana is below sea level, coast line is flat like a pancake and everywhere floods after 15 minutes of rain due to poor drainage.
The consequences of excessive exposure to the sun’s rays should not be underestimated. Knowing the hourly UV (ultraviolet) index can be used to prevent exposure to these dangerous, cancer causing rays. These little things, if given more attention, can foster the development of a healthier nation.
This is more than just about weather. This knowledge could see the development of more proactive citizens. Guyanese could learn the value and importance of planning and decision-making.
Armyman u should check the meaning of forecast. most people in guyana use umbrella when in the sun.
leon, complain about blackout instead of weather. they can fix blackout but not weather.
Had a blackout today from about 9:30 AM to about 3:30 PM.
He’s asking them to be more precise in their weather reporting. Failing that, don’t do it because it’s useless.
Accurate weather reporting is important to the wellbeing and health of a nation. The weather reports in the U.S. are normally 99% accurate. Once in a while precipitiation might be predicted and don’t materialize and sometimes the temperature is a little below or above what was predicted but in general they are accurate. Weather is a very important part of news and t.v. and radio. There are so many stations that no station wants to be seen as giving inaccurate reports we would quickly switch to another station. Competition keeps the stations on their toes.
Leon you should contact the weather channel (I think in Atlanta) and arrange to get a feed from them. They cover weather around the world.
99% accurate but not for more than 7 days in advance.
Those who give these reports should be held accountable, by volunteering to be tied out there all day to face the elements.
Weather forecasting isn’t much better in Britain. At lunchtime today, the BBC predicted heavy rain for the London area through the afternoon. So, what did we get? Unbroken sunshine of course.
Any forecast for more than seven days in advance is little better than guess-work.