Ok, I don’t really “hate” it.  But my idea of nice weather and your idea of nice weather may be on the opposite ends of the spectrum.

Maybe it’s because of where I grew up.  Maybe it’s because I’ve studied and forecasted weather most of my life.  Maybe it’s because I’m just weird (I hear that now and again).

Being from the northern United States, I have a tendency to prefer cooler weather.  When I say cool, I mean anything above 25 C is getting a bit too warm for me.  I like weather that makes you wear more than one layer.

I also prefer clouds over bright sunshine.  Now, I am a bit hypersensitive to light but the main reason I like clouds is because they keep things cooler.  They can also lead to my first, best love in weather; thunderstorms.

Ah, the years I spent chasing tornadoes across the central and northern US.  If I had a dollar for every tornado I caught (or that caught me), I wouldn’t have enough to buy lunch.  But that’s ok.  Just the thrill of the chase made it worth it.  The ability to look up in the sky and watch Ma Nature do her thing rather than just reading about in a textbook or hearing about it in a lecture hall.  To say nothing of knowing I am helping to get warnings out faster which in turn helps people get themselves to safety faster.

That’s why I like to try and stay away from words like “nice” and “pleasant” and “comfortable” in my forecasts.  30 C maybe comfortable to one person, but 15 C is a much more comfortable reading to someone else.  A forecast of bright sunshine is great for the person with beach plans.  But for the farmer begging for some rain, it’s not such happy news.

But when it’s bright sunshine and mild temperatures on the first weekend of winter, a holiday weekend, it’s hard not to call it “nice”, whether it’s your favourite kind of weather or not.

Homepage image/ CM Kong

By WeatherWatch Analyst Howard Joseph