Why ask someone about the weather of their trip when there are numerous websites that give detailed climate infomation for everytime of the year?
 

Anecdotal information like that is going to be far less accurate than a scientific compilation of data taken over several years.

I agree. I like weather.com and wunderground.com.

Because a lot of people don't know about what's available on the web.

Essentially I agree with you, but I live in Naples, Florida and am often bugged by the complaints of visitors about the weather. If one looks up a specific date, for example February 15 they may find that the average high here is 72 and the average low is 60 (I'm guessing here, but I'd say that is pretty close). So what happens when someone arrives on that date and is shocked that it only gets to 52 during the day and drops to 35 that night? The answer is that it is a cold snap that is totally unexplained on the averages. If most Feb. 15's are 70 to 80, but every six or seven years it drops to 50, that really doesn't make much of an impact on the averages.<BR>On the other hand, you are right that single anecdotal experiences are likely to be less than accurate, but at least they can reflect an out of the ordinary experience.

Answer: scientific data is boring. Anecdotes are often fun and interesting and -wow! - contact with another human being. People can also create a sense of living in and with the climate/weather, something statistics can't do. I suspect most people do both, ask and search.

Patrick,<BR><BR>You make a valid point. That is why I like weather.com. It not only gives the average highs and lows, but RECORD highs and lows as well. That way, one can plan for the average but be prepared for the extremes.<BR><BR>Shanna,<BR><BR>Nice reply. I agree that unique personal experiences are more fun. I enjoy them too. My concern is that for every person who does search for the statistical info, there are 10 others that rely on statements like "weather was nice in Decebember" when packing for their trip. Additionally, many places have huge ranges between daytime and night time tempuratures. I live in Los Angeles, and you don't know how many people come here without jackets, not realizing that the temperature routinely drops 35 degrees at, expecially in the winter. A comfortable 75 degree day can become an unbearable 40 degrees just a couple hours after sunset (and my experience in Egypt was more like a 50 degree drop). My hope is that some people who read this thread might learn about weather.com and wunderground.com to help with their planning.