Blatant weather mis-information in the Media

Danno

Status Yellow: Warning for hot weekend as Carlow temperature tops 30 degrees (thejournal.ie)

THE MERCURY HIT 33 degrees Celsius in Callan in Kilkenny earlier this afternoon ahead of several days of hot weather across Ireland.

This is total mis-information. First of all - the station in Callan has no mercury to measure temperature. From the WOW page for the station, it clearly says: "Davis Vantage Vue Station with CumulusMX running on a Raspberry Pi Zero W."

A Davis Vantage Vue is not reliable enough to record accurate temperatures - especially in prolonged sunshine like we've been experiencing over the past few days as the sensor is not sufficiently shielded from solar insolation. This causes temperature recordings to be in this case, several degrees higher than otherwise would be recorded with standard equipment. Secondly, the owner of this AWS has not declared the exposure of the station characteristics which would give better insight into how close to buildings, etc... this vue is located. Finally the AWS owner has used a generic location for the AWS - Callan Post Office, therefore we have no way of knowing how this station is sited.

It's a shame that media outlets are running with such mis-information passed off as reliable and honest reporting.

highdef

Completely agree but I've little more to say as it's to be expected from the tabloids! I'm beyond it at this stage.

Storm 10

Completely agree with you guys my other half who has no interest in the weather unless hanging out the washing said to me yesterday while watching Sky News you would think the World was on fire with all the scare headlines yet they tell us we had similar temperatures many years ago but there was no hype then, the big fire in the UK last month that destroyed many homes was started by one of the home owners having a barbecue that some how lit the grass at the back of his home yet the whole thing suddenly was down to Global Warming.

The Continental Op

Doesn't Kilkenny have a reputation is this respect ;-)

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119462616#Comment_119462616

Lighting fires? 😂

Elmer Blooker

‘Gas prices rise as coldest winter in 200 years on way’

It’s true .... I read it somewhere.

The Continental Op

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119462652#Comment_119462652

The temperature is second only to the record of 33.3°C measured in Kilkenny Castle on 26 June 1887.

https://www.thejournal.ie/research-kilkenny-castle-1887-hottest-temperature-record-5820271-Jul2022/

I wouldn't consider The Churnal to be among Ireland's most reliable sources for accurate meteorological information.

The Continental Op

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119462766#Comment_119462766

That maybe so but the information is accurate if you bothered to check. I thought most people knew that Kilkenny had a debatable historic high temperature record.

May be you'll believe Met Éireann https://www.met.ie/sweltering-heat-forecast-from-15-19th-july-what-to-expect

Danno

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119462720#Comment_119462720

There is a dedicated thread to this on this very forum: New doubt cast on Ireland's hottest temperature - Page 3 — boards.ie - Now Ye're Talkin' where the more experienced posters put the student's "research" to shreds. Well worth a read.

Gaoth Laidir

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058258504/blatant-weather-mis-information-in-the-media

Unfortunately nothing new here. Fact-checking is practically zero when it comes to weather and unfortunately people get their "information" from such "sources".

I've noticed a huge increase in this in the Italian media this year too.

olestoepoke

Never let the truth get in the way of a good scaremongering. The absolute state of media in this country, embarrassing.

magicbastarder

surely 'the mercury hit' is just a figure of speech, for saying a temperature was reached?

Mickeroo

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119463292#Comment_119463292

Yes, that's exactly what it is.

rovers_runner

Sure we've had the same all summer. Especially with the almost record breaking temperature in a station that doesn't even monitor wind speeds....

Dohnjoe

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058258504/blatant-weather-mis-information-in-the-media

"The mercury hit" is more of a phrase. It's a pretty standard article covering the current heatwave, with the temps from Met Eireann.

Keep in mind there are conspiracy loons screeching about this stuff because of their anti-climate beliefs, threatening newscasters, etc.

Oneiric 3

99.9% of people don't understand temperature or care about it, so they see no need to question idiotic statements by the press, and this is precisely what the press plays on. And it is same story with any topic the press covers, and no such better example of the narratives pushed by over the last couple of years, and more especially since the start of this year, but stupid people will always gobble up stupid, and that is just the way of the world.

lawred2

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119462536#Comment_119462536

I mean I kinda agree with the premise but fires just don't start because it's warm. They always need an ignition. I don't think anyone has yet attributed spontaneous combustion to global warming.

Warming may however lead to plenty dry kindling on hand to allow a fire to get out of hand quickly.

Storm 10

RTE keeping the hype going Joanna just spent 15 minutes on Brendan O Connor show talking about it for God's sake it's Summer get over it

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119462789#Comment_119462789

Don't get your panties in a twist! I was responding to an earlier post and hadn't even noticed your incredibly important comment.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119465240#Comment_119465240

Yeah I find many have little understanding of anything weather related. Most people wouldn't even be aware Irelands max was set back in 1887 or what the figure was. One would often hear silly talk that it was 36 degrees Celsius at their location with apparently little understanding of the official stations and how they measure temperature. After the July heat in 2021 and how it broke with a thunderstorm I heard someone mention how there was actually hailstones in the Summertime, as if hailstones were actually a winter time thing only. She was seemingly unaware they are sometimes associated with Summer thunderstorms. Another time I heard someone say I don't know what we would do if we lived in America its 100 degrees there. She was unable to differentiate between Celsius and Fahrenheit. There are plenty of people out there who are taking it for granted that this hot spell is going to last for the remainder of the month and until the children go back to school. They have no idea that we are in the last couple of days of it and if it breaks with thunderstorms they will be taken by surprise and wonder what's going on when they hear the first rumble

Gaoth Laidir

The problem is that the younger generation see a weather event now on the tv or their newsfeed and they think it's all new and never happened before. That narrative is being deliberately pushed by the media and indeed teachers, who know little about the science of it. The fact that similar or worse events happened in the distant past doesn't register with them. Social media has removed a whole generation's ability to absorb news with an open mind and actually read beyond the headline.

But then you also have the not-so-youngs who, as mentioned above, should know better. "It was 35, and that was in the shade" is a classic one. Or they'll post a photo of the the "41 degrees in Ballymun" and their thermometer in full sun on a brick wall. I must mention, though, that Met Éireann are guilty of just that. This is from their website yesterday.