BlogWonks

The lamestream media told you:

“In what could be described as a monsoon dew-over, the National Weather Service will abandon its decades-old system of using dew points to mark the onset of summer thunderstorms and simply set a date,” writes Shaun McKinnon, on the lead page-one story for the Arizona Republic, entitled, “This Year We’ll Know.” The title refers to the monsoon starting date, which changes each year depending on conditions.

“We want to get the focus away from how we determine when it starts, and put the focus on awareness (of) our most violent weather,” said Tony Haffer, the federal agent in charge. By setting dates, public safety agencies can better prepare people for the risks of summer thunderstorms.

In the past ten years, measurements showed the season started between June 17 and July 19. The official date is now June 15.

The Uninvited Ombudsman notes however that:

Abandoning scientific principles altogether, climatologists in Arizona have decided to stop measuring conditions and simply declare a date on which the annual desert monsoon conditions begin. Whether Mother Nature agrees with the plan, or if the declared date will actually mean anything is uncertain.

“Have they lost their minds?” asked one critic who preferred to remain unnamed. “The dew-point measurements gave hard data upon which to form a rational judgment, and we can see that the monsoon conditions began over a nearly five-week period each year for the past decade.” Picking some averaged date off a calendar can’t possibly do that, he claims. “It’s a good thing they’re not managing global warming,” he said, a fact that could not be immediately confirmed.

Newspaper reporter Shaun McKinnon dutifully reported the government announcement, getting the details of the press release correct on page one, so no correction is needed, as usual. He did however fail to ask how picking a date instead of taking measurements comports with the scientific method.

“Why should we, the government, be burdened with taking measurements and doing an analysis of conditions, when we can just issue an edict and rely on that?” said one estimated government spokeslady. “If we can’t do that for such minor issues as science, how can we justify it for taxes, social programs or war? Think of the efficiency, and all the money it might save. Money doesn’t come from rain clouds, you know.”

The idea that schools might teach students that thunderstorms can be dangerous, or that people already know that, thus eliminating the need for government to pick an official start date for public safety, was not addressed. According to the “news,” thunderstorms produce “damaging winds, dust clouds and flash floods.” Thunder, which can scare people and pets, and lightning, which can kill people and pets, was not mentioned. The change, “reflects advances in weather forecasting technology,” the reporter said, with a straight face.