When Did Local News Become Obsessed with the Weather?

[oladub]

I read a European's take on the, to him, obsession with weather in America. He was surprised at spending so much evening news time covering the weather. After being here for awhile, he realized that the weather was a lot more changeable from day to day than in whichever country he was from.

Having lived in Santa Cruz for a couple of years, the weather there was a lot more consistent from day to day than in the midwest. In January, every day seemed to have a good chance of drizzle without ever being cold enough for a frost. Summers, in town, had morning fog but otherwise were dry and sunny but it seldom exceeded the low eighties. I presume that is what that European meant by the weather being more consistent. I was in a Der Wienerschnitzel restaurant in July when it rained. Some of the customers went outside to stand in the brief rain. They must have been former midwesterners.

Back in the midwest [[SW WI), after a couple of weeks of 80 degree weather, we now have some light snow in the forecast tonight. All the weather reporting alerts us how to dress on a given day for 'there is no bad weather, only bad clothes'.