>>173827, >>173828, >>173829, >>173830, >>173831, >>173832, >>173833, >>173834, >>173835, >>173836, >>173837, >>173838, >>173839, >>173840, >>173841, >>173842, >>173843, >>173844, >>173845, >>173846, >>173847, >>173848, >>173849, >>173850, >>173851
A snow map two weeks out is usually just one possible solution, not a likely one
When people see a specific snow total:
They assume the science supports that precision — it does not.
That creates a false belief that forecasts are “always wrong” when the map inevitably vanishes.
*It erodes trust in meteorologists
This is the biggest long-term damage.
People remember:
“They said a foot of snow”
“It didn’t happen”
“Meteorologists can’t get anything right”
They don’t remember that:
It was a single model run
Well beyond skillful range
Shared without uncertainty or context
This degrades public trust in legitimate forecasts that actually matter (days 1–5).
*It creates emotional whiplash (especially in the South)