Is it Gonna Rain Today?

Weather is fascinating, challenging, volatile, sexy-oh, wait a minute-maybe I went too far. Some people might see my job as the quirky Nicolas Cage-type weatherman, but it's a lot more complicated than that. I'm a TV meteorologist: a combination of broadcaster, scientist and teacher.

I really enjoy it when someone comes up to me and asks about the weather. As you can imagine, I get a lot of friendly hellos or "Is it gonna rain today?" comments. It's neat that complete strangers feel comfortable enough to come to me and start a conversation. Of course, when my forecast misses the mark, the same people aren't shy about reminding me. But if it's a compliment or a suggestion, it means that they were watching closely-that's my goal.

And this year, right now, everyone wants to know whether another major hurricane will strike our area. The bad news is I can't say for certain. What I do know is we're in the middle of a 20-year cycle of increased hurricane activity that began in 1995. So don't be surprised if we have more threats of land-falling hurricanes this year. But the good news is our ability to predict where and when hurricanes are going to strike is improving all the time.

That's the good and the bad about being a weather forecaster. I don't know if that's ever going to change because no matter how well we keep up with the latest technology there is always going to be uncertainty because, basically, weather can be unpredictable. It's maddening.

The best way I've found to deal with that unpredictability is to be calm, logical and very unemotional on the air. I focus on the pure science of the data I receive-nothing more. I can't be effective if I'm thinking of my wife and children in Cape Coral. I have to separate myself from those kinds of thoughts and be a scientist. Weather forecasting is a science, not a Ouija Board.

The majority of viewers perceive me as a TV meteorologist, and that's true. But I also think of myself as a scientist and a teacher. In fact, there have always been two sides of my personality: the science teacher who's fascinated by everything connected with meteorology, and the weather forecaster who wants to keep the community informed and safe. I think that duality is what makes me good at my job.

I started out my career as a science teacher after earning a degree in science education from West Chester University in Pennsylvania. And when I started out in radio in Amarillo, Texas, I still kept my teaching certificate. Later, in Miami, I worked two jobs: radio and teaching. Then when I eventually came to Southwest Florida I worked as a science teacher until I persuaded WBBH to hire me as a TV forecaster. I left formal education behind, but not what I learned from my teaching years.

As an educator, I had to figure out early on how to keep an audience interested-and let me tell you, science is a tough sell to high schoolers. But knowledge can be entertaining-and enlightening. That's what I try to bring to my forecasts: information that viewers need to hear to make informed decisions.

Unfortunately, there is a lot of disinformation about the weather. Since Hurricane Charley, the public has a heightened interest in the science behind weather forecasting. I'm thrilled about that. But what often happens is viewers go to the Internet, maybe hang out in weather-related chat rooms, and then they make their own predictions. That kind of thing can be a problem, especially when they're sharing personal forecasts in the grocery lines. Depending on the situation, it can scare people or lull them into a false sense of security.

A big part of what i do now,

first, is to dispel the disinformation, to clear away the rumors; and then try to give the community correct data about what is actually going to happen. It can be a tough task at times, especially when the emotions amp up during hurricane season.

Hurricane Charley changed all of us. Prior to that storm, I think people thought they were living in a magic zone where major storms would always pass them by. It had been 44 years since Hurricane Donna hit Southwest Florida, and the population had doubled every 10 years. So, when Charley struck, the majority of local residents had never experienced a major hurricane before.

It created what I call a "post-hurricane psychology" of feeling vulnerable. So even though Frances, Jeanne and Ivan were never predicted to strike our area, the public became hypersensitive to any hurricane in our vicinity. Four hurricanes in one season; it was incredible. People went from nonchalance to paranoia. Some residents even left the area after the 2004 hurricane season. I think if they could've left the planet they would have. It really took a full year to regain our sense of perspective-and I'm not sure we really have even today.

All I can do is keep informing the public about the weather to the best of my ability. While the TV studio insulates me somewhat from the viewers, being in people's homes every night also creates a sense of trust and familiarity. I really enjoy it when someone comes up and shares a personal weather experience, hurricane-related or otherwise.

And it doesn't just happen here in Southwest Florida. This past December, I was in Chicago, lining up to go to the top of the Sears Tower, when a college-aged student turned and said, "Hey, aren't you Jim Farrell from WINK-TV?" It turns out he was from Cape Coral. He was on vacation in Chicago. We had a nice chat and then went our separate ways. For the most part, the people I meet are very friendly, and the feedback I get in person is welcome. They know I try to get the forecast right and communicate it in a way that viewers will remember and not be surprised by the many changes in the weather that we get in Southwest Florida.

Here I am being the teacher again-but that's what I do. I don't just give a weather report; I give the public my best predictions based on science and years of experience in TV meteorology. As for the upcoming hurricane season and what we need to do to prepare, people know the drill: it's like pre-season baseball. We work our way down the checklist and make sure we're ready.

That's our way of life. I guess it's the price we pay for living in paradise.