Out In The Cold

Forecasting the weather in Oklahoma has its ups and downs.  The ups can be everything from bringing Oklahomans the good news of sunshine, light winds, and mid 70's on a Saturday to a good, soaking rain measuring several inches over the course of a few days.  The downs can be misjudging mother nature, miserable weather during an outdoor activity-heavy weekend, or anything that will inconvenience day-to-day life.  

Yet, as a meteorologist, you have to take the good with the bad.  The credit with the blame.  In the nearly 2 years I've been at News 9, I've experienced seemingly every kind of weather possible in the United States, save for the direct impact of a hurricane.  And strangely enough, I can remember the feeling of joy I felt when I was able to bring news of coming weather everyone could enjoy.  And conversely, the feeling of dread when bringing news of impending blizzards, hail storms, severe weather/tornado outbreaks, and times of seemingly endless drought.  

So why am I telling you all of this?  Well, in these blogs, I want to be able to share some of myself and my experiences with you as it all relates to the profession I love and enjoy.  For most of this week, I gave the forecast on News9 This Morning and News9 at Noon of a cold front moving into Oklahoma that would have a profound effect on a certain football game in Norman on Saturday morning that I'll be attending.  I kept telling myself to stay positive about the forecast.  We're getting rain.  We're getting temperatures that will actually feel like they should after Thanksgiving (and for longer than a couple of days!).  Yet, in the back of my mind, I knew I'd be braving the elements (north winds at 25-45 mph and sub-freezing wind chills) during a football game with a couple of friends.  And to be honest, I kept hoping I would be wrong.  Not the case.  I love active weather, but just once, I was hoping to bring news of a quiet, mild weekend in Oklahoma.  Maybe next time.