E-Paper
It?s overcast, says the broadcast
When was the last time you heard of a day which, if it didn?t hold ?partly cloudy skies? or the ?possibility of light rain'.
When was the last time you heard of a day which, if it didn’t hold ‘partly cloudy skies’ or the ‘possibility of light rain or thundershower’, was then scheduled to have ‘hot and humid weather conditions’? But with plans for a 24-hour weather channel, Mausam, to be taken care of by the meteorological department, the first task may well be to expand weather forecast vocabulary beyond the three stock phrases that have passed off as our forecasts for a great many years. But let’s not blame the meteorological department. How would they have known that the climate would change so drastically?
This is a country where, till a few years ago, the weather was too predictably predictable — a hot summer, cool winter and rain or shine in between. But considering that despite this, the Met department has developed a reputation for getting its forecasts consistently wrong, they must have frozen in shock when Minister for Science and Technology Kapil Sibal announced the plans for a weather channel.
Their anxiety must have grown even more considering the confused state of the weather these days, and nights. With the concept of climatic and seasonal changes seemingly on the verge of extinction and all-weather conditions prevailing at all times, we wonder if the Met department can do more than look at the sky for some inspiration. For, some temperatures in the ministry will be rising if they get their forecasts wrong on national television.