Weather stories

“A good measure of an excellent reporter is whether they are willing to take any story — including the weather — and make it sing. After all, EVERYBODY reads weather stories … and any reporter who doesn’t want to be read is just plain dingy.” - Former Herald News City Editor Jaci Smith
1. To every season, there is a weather event worth reporting: fall is hurricane season; winter is northeasters, snowstorms and their big brother, blizzards. Spring brings rains, floods, thunderstorms and tornadoes. Summer heat waves and droughts. For many readers, weather is simply an inconvenience, an add-on to commuting time, a day to figure out what to do with the kids when schools close. For most, however, it is the single point of contact people have with nature, often a demonstration and reminder of her awesome power. This should not be forgotten when you write weather stories.

2. What every weather story should contain: Accurate depiction of the event, free of jargon. Technical terms explained for reader. Deaths and injuries. Accidents, traffic and otherwise. Power outages. Property damage.

3. Get the basic facts, then get out to the streets. It’s a fact of life that newspapers are not the first source people turn to in weather situations. There are dozens of TV and Internet sources, not to mention radio. There is no point in writing a boring and outdated laundry list of traffic tie-ups and auto collisions. Instead, find a way to tell the weather story that brings the meaning of the weather home and reports its impact on one person or place, family, business, school or group. Zoom in. Find a novel angle, find the drama, humor, irony in the day.That is where your inventiveness and initiative come in. That’s what readers will gobble up. It needn’t be long. It needs to be sharp, full of detail, clearly observed, brilliantly told.

4. Graphic representation of the event. Decide early if a propos. Maybe graphic exists on wires.

5. Sources and web sites.
National Weather Service regional web sites:
In Upton, N.Y.: http://www.erh.noaa.gov/er/okx/
In Mount Holly: http://www.erh.noaa.gov/er/phi/

New Jersey State Climatalogist
http://climate.rutgers.edu/stateclim/
David Robinson (732) 445-4741

NJ State Police for traffic conditions and accidents: 609-882-2000 extensions: 6513,6516

PSE&G: For 24 hour information on outages/utility: 973-430-PSEG
(7734) or 973-430-6027. Press: Karen Johnson 973-430-6618, Ginny Biggins 973-430-5492, Judy Ohl 973-430-8319

North Jersey Weather: A good site for up-to-date local meteorology and contacts: includes links to local weather watchers at, for example Clifton High School and West Paterson http://www.northjerseyweather.com/

North Jersey Weather Observers (NJWO) Bergen-based group of pro and amateur weatherites http://www.njwo.org (973) 628-6869 24-hour weather hotline

[Some additional sites added by Tom Meagher in 2006]
Complete Sun & Moon Data
Ephemeris
Hurricane Data
IBISEye Hurricane Tracking
NJ State Climatologist
Weather

6. Find out as much in advance as you possibly can if you are being assigned to the weather story. If you are, leave ample time to drive or get places in bad conditions, dress appropriatley, keep in touch. And be careful out there.

- Jonathan Maslow, Herald News, Dec. 2003

Resources for Weather Data

Nationwide and East Coast storms

Current snow and rain, national

Current and recent New Jersey data

Historic New Jersey data

- Tom Meagher, The Star-Ledger, Jan. 2011