Dumb question: how do you read the weather forecast?
 

OK, go ahead and call me stupid, but I'm never entirely sure whether the "low" temperature forecast for next Wed. means that it'll hit that temperature Tuesday night overnight to Wed. morning or Wednesday night over to Thurs. morning. <BR><BR>Somebody make it simple for an easily confused traveler.

The low for Wednesday is the lowest temp from 12 a.m. Wednesday morning until 11:59 p.m. Wednesday night.<BR><BR>Example: If 40 degrees is the low, then it'll probablyl be 40 sometime in the early am hours of Wednedsay (like 2 to 6 a.m).<BR><BR>Hope that makes sense. The lows and highs are for that particular day only.<BR>

My dear Easily addled, <BR><BR>You are stupid!<BR><BR>Mr. Weather

Hi Easily,<BR>you might just try to remember that if it says a day of the week such as Wednesday,then that is the day/night that will hit that particular high/low.<BR>So if it is a low of 30degrees for WEdnesday, you can figure that it will occure some time during the night.<BR>But before midnight, because then that would be Thursday!

Not a dumb question. For years I assumed that Statia's answer was the way it works. But I now believe that on the TV forecasts in Boston, the "low temperature for Wednesday" is actually the low point from Tuesday night through Wednesday morning. If we're having a warm spell the announcer might describe how the temperature will plummet to the 30's during the day Wednesday. But her forecast chart will show Wednesday with a high of 70 and a low of 50. This would not make sense if "low on Wednesday" were supposed to be the low point of the 12 AM to 12 AM period.<BR><BR>It would be nice if somebody who's actually involved in publishing weather forecasts would respond . . .

Official weather data is recorded by the calendar day. (00:00 through 23:59).

Well, I invited you to call me stupid, but I have to say that not everyone here quite gets what the problem is, so maybe I'm not alone.<BR><BR>It's very easy to say, retrospectively, that the low for LAST Tuesday was 45, because sometime between 12:01 am Tuesday and 11:59 pm Tuesday, it hit 45.<BR><BR>But here's why I posted this here: I always check the on-line weather for my destinations, to get an idea how to pack. <BR><BR>The text forecast for the next 36 hrs. is pretty easy to understand: "tonight, chilly in the 40s, tomorrow high 65, tomorrow night warmer in the 50s." Fine. But when you go to the 10-day extended forecast you get: "Tues. hi 65, low 35; Wed. hi 75, low 50; Thurs. hi 60, low 35, and so forth." Which evening will be chillier, which morning will be warmer?

Oh for godssake just throw a sweater and a short-sleeved shirt in the stinking suitcase and get on the stupid plane!!!

Why is everyone so quick to dump on this person? It's actually a decent question, esp. in a season when temperatures change rapidly -- in my area of the country, it can change 60 degrees in 12 hrs. Why can't someone just find out what the convention is for weather websites and enlighten us all. I think it would be helpful.

"Everyone" isn't quick to "dump" on this person, it looks like a few people have tried to explain the answer to him/her.I think,Easily,that you are making this a lot harder than it really is-weather forecasts go according to the 24 hours in A Day..therefore,when they say that Wednesdays low will be 40-that means it will most likely hit 40 by midnight on Wednesday-Of course, it will not automatically rise to 45 at 12:01 so you can expect it to be in the 40's on Thursday morning also.

Thanks, "Is This Better,"<BR><BR>I probably am making it a little too complex for one city at a time, but I'm faced with a country-hopping trip from far north to Mediterranean next week and having a little trouble planning outerwear.<BR><BR>Since most weather sites list the projected high first, I'm inclined to agree with you that a predicted low will occur after the daylight hours. But every so often it seems to me our local TV weather does it the other way around. <BR><BR>Oh, well, we all know you can't necessarily trust a weatherman anyway (and why do all weatherwomen on TV seem to be required to be pregnant?).

maybe some men find weatherwomen sexy?