The One Question Every Meteorologist Must Ask

The number one question I get from news directors and multimedia meteorologists is, “How can we tell better weather stories.”

The problem is the question itself. In a similar way that doctors see a story in an x-ray and accountants see a story in a spreadsheet, most meteorologists see a story in the upper-air data, surface map, and the tropical cyclone heat potential. That would explain why so many weathercasts are data-driven presentations and not viewer-centered conversations.

There is a better question, one that forces forecasters to look beyond the numbers and consider the impacts of those numbers. It’s a question that addresses the reason people seek weather information. It’s a question that requires meteorologists to think about the types of weather that consumers care about.

The question multimedia meteorologists must ask:

What do viewers want to know and need to know right now that they can’t get from a generic weather app?

The answer to that question is The Essential Message that every weather hit, webcast, and social media post must answer. Deliver that message every time without fail. It really is that simple.

Let’s consider the different parts of that question:

What do viewers want to know?

We can guess pretty accurately what most people want to know because it shows up in audience research all the time. Viewers want to know what it’s going to be like today, tomorrow, and this weekend.

They want to know what to wear. They want to know how cool it is now and how warm it will get later. They want to know if their commute will be impacted by the weather. They want to know if it’s going to be sunny or stormy this weekend.

These general questions are what everyone wants to know, and most multimedia meteorologists do an excellent job providing that basic information. But it’s really the next question where local TV station weather teams can demonstrate their value.

What do viewers need to know?

While viewers want to know if it’s going to rain, they need to know when it will start and stop, whether the rain will be widespread or isolated, and how much rain might fall. They want to know if storms will be severe, but they need to know the primary threats: wind, hail, or tornados. They want to know if their commute will be impacted, but they need to know where fog is reducing visibility and which roads are likely to become slick.

Track the weather hour-by-hour and at street level whenever possible. To paraphrase Steve Jobs: people don’t know what they need to know until you tell them.

What can we tell viewers that they can’t get from a generic weather app?

Weather apps are accurate enough to be useful, and they make people aware of possible changes in the weather. But they don’t tell the whole weather story.

Telling viewers what they want to know and need to know would satisfy most people. Multimedia meteorologists can uplevel their presentations by digging deeper into the data and finding facts and figures that aren’t obvious to most people.

Viewers want to know if it’s going to rain, and they need to know that it’ll rain until 4 PM today. But what they can’t get from a generic weather app is context: how this storm compares to the last one, the impact on local drought, or exactly which neighborhoods are at risk for street flooding.

In my coaching sessions, I call these “Memorable Moments.” It’s information that’s not immediately obvious to most people and something they might enjoy sharing with others.

The Essential Question reveals The Essential Message

The Essential Message is the cornerstone of the coaching provided by HellerWeather. My goal isn’t for clients to simply tell weather stories. It is for them to deliver The Essential Message every time.

Identifying that message might be simpler said than done for busy multimedia meteorologists. This is where workflow aids like the HellerWeather AI Tool can be extremely helpful. Trained to consider what viewers want to know and need to know based on the latest forecast, the proprietary application identifies several topics worth exploring. It even generates first drafts and recommends graphics for on-air weather hits, online webcasts, and social media vertical videos.

Regardless of how The Essential Message is generated or how the final rundown is produced, I recommend a final “thumbnail check” to ensure there is a valid reason to use every graphic. Does every graphic tell viewers what they want to know, what they need to know, or something they can’t get from a generic weather app? When multimedia meteorologists consistently satisfy and surprise their audience with a deeper level of insight, viewers won’t just watch once. They will start to rely on you every day.

Tim Heller is an AMS Certified Broadcast Meteorologist, Talent Coach, and Weather Content Consultant. He helps local TV stations and multimedia meteorologists communicate more effectively and work more efficiently.