It’s National Weatherman’s Day.   Most of the best weather forecasters in my state are women.  I think they choose them to deliver the bad news as a way of softening the blow.  My state, is known to have two seasons – winter and road construction.

When there’s a lull in the weather, forecasters tend to make the most of the smallest weather events.  If the wind is blowing more than five miles an hour, you better take refuge in the root cellar.  You never know how things will change and it’s better to be safe than sorry.  You could call it fake weather news because of the raw emotion it instills

Years ago, temperatures would not determine a four day, unplanned break in the school year or closing the post office.  Why in my day, we traveled five miles, by foot, in a blizzard which allowed us to see only one inch in front of our faces.  It was an uphill trek both ways.  We wore Wonder Bread bags in our boots to keep our feet extra dry.  We carried our lunches in paper bags.  We placed our wet mittens on top of a wood stove to dry.  I could go on, but you know what I mean.

The weather has become a lesson in survival.  We have climate change (?) global warming (?) dressing in layers, packing a survival kit in your car along with lots of blankets and treats for the kids.   You’re forced to walk 20 steps from the house to the warm van your mom drives to your school and then 20 more steps from the van to the school door.  But I digress.

The weatherman is the cause for many jokes.  They’re bullied often.  They’re only the messenger after all.  They don’t make the weather.  These unsung heroes, get up every day and read their charts and the radar maps, formulating what will happen over the next 24 hours.  If they go beyond that, it’s all speculation, because in Minnesota you just wait a few hours and the weather will change.  There was one day we experienced extreme heat and humidity, snowfall, hail and tornado warnings. Then it rained like the Dickens.  Well there I go, digressing again.

So today, when you’re watching the weather report, remember to thank your weatherperson.  He/she are those who will determine how your dress, what you pack in your car, if you must shovel your way out of the driveway and scrape two inches of frost off your windshield.  They actually set the tone for the day.

By the way, it’s snowing in Minnesota.  We have a thick layer of ice right outside our door, from the short heat wave that melted everything and refroze it yesterday.  And the groundhog said it would be an early spring.  Maybe he better take a course in meteorology.