By Dr. John Curtis.

Preface: If you are the impatient type or suffer from ADD, skip this post and move on to the next. Here we go:

It is very important to note that due to differences in terrain, temps, wind, rain statistics can vary widely. When weather watchers and others report the numbers they may tend to want to argue about who’s accurate and who’s not. In reality, they all are probably correct or close. Think about it from this angle; instruments, location, and other factors will bring varied results so getting an approximation is important. I.E. we did see .6″ inches of rain at my location since early Fri A.M.

Reality time: Temps around Los Osos/Morro Bay can vary as can relative humidity. And, there is a reason we call many locations on the central coast “micro climates” because of above reasons plus the way terrain and distance from the ocean-sometimes next to the ocean but with wind blocked by hills-can cause some pretty warm warm weather daytime temperatures. Sometimes night time temperatures can be quite warm due to that offshore wind pattern which, when flows down the mountains, can begin to compress and heat. Fall can bring very warm coastal temperatures when it’s actually cooler east of the coastal ridges and mountains. Just the opposite of the summer time pattern.

Hows and whys: When I did my internship at KABC TV Channel 7 Eyewitness News in LA years ago, and under the mentorship of  my dear friend, Dr. George Fischbeck, we focused on similar issues around the LA Basin. Plus we made sure viewers knew that chances of rain meant anywhere around viewing area. Then we went into orographics-those lifting conditions which enhance rainfall around up sloping areas i.e. foothill locations. Snow levels, and how various wind and moisture conditions play an important part in rainfall. Dr. George was the very first to introduce the 500mb chart and clinical approach to forecasting on TV news. Today, we look at the computer models but must be very careful not to take them too seriously. I personally prefer the sat pix, upper air charts as well as wind, humidity,  and conditions at different altitudes. For instance, two charts we refer to as soundings and adiabatics. Two different ways to measure wind currents and moisture at different levels. One other thing, we always like to observe winds at various altitudes. Recently, we saw winds over 200kts at the 200mb level. That’s very close to 49,000 feet. We also saw record low barometric pressure readings. Our “unofficial” reading here was 28.74. That’s a reading you might see similar to a category 2 hurricane.

Dr. George and I stay in touch and talk several times a week. TV was a good long, almost 30 years back but everyone should have a mentor or teacher they appreciated in school, hobby, or vocation. If you enjoy the young people and teaching, be there for them. It is that important.