Summary: Congratulations to
KSHB-TV41 and lead meteorologist Gary Lezak for having the most accurate weather
forecasts for the fourth straight year in Kansas City according to
WeatheRate.com.
KSHB
is #1 in Forecasting
Mon, March 5, 2007 |KSHB Blog
The Major League Weather Forecasting season
has just ended. The final numbers for the one year ending February 28th are in!
Remember now, this is not our opinion. These are the facts, just like the sports standings in the newspaper.
WeatheRate.com is a company in Arizona. They started keeping track of forecast
accuracy in 2003. KSHB-TV has been #1 not just in Kansas City, but also #1 in
the nation in the category of biggest lead over their competition. And, you know
that in this very competitive weather market that the other stations are trying.
KSHB's winning margin this year is larger than the past two years.
Since this is not our opinion. We thought that it would be fine to show the
final standings as if it were the Yankees & Royals. You can see who is in first,
second, third, and last. Remember this is NOT our opinion, but fact.
Here are the final standings for the year ending February 28th, 2007:
#1 KSHB:
6.30
#2 Channel 9 (ABC): 7.31
#3 Channel 5 (CBS): 7.37
#4 Channel 4 (FOX): 8.09
WeatheRate.com uses the 10 PM newscast each night and calculates forecast error
with the lowest score being the best score. They take into account the high and
low temperatures for the first four days of the forecast. Day 1 is weighted
stronger than Day 2, which is weighted heavier than day 3, etc. They also
include precipitation forecasts for rain, snow, and amounts. And, they factor in
wind, clouds, and fog. So, this system has been devised quite well.
We know that a lot of you already know that we are the most accurate. For you
this is just ammunition to show viewers of the other stations that there is a
forecast that can be relied upon. So spread the word.
And, this happens on a big day. Today we forecasted 63 degrees (the high has
been 64 so far). The closest forecast as of Sunday night to ours was 56 degrees.
And, even this morning most forecasts still thought it would be in the 50s. I
can see why so many people just don't believe meteorologists. We have been
trying to prove that there is a forecast you can count on for years now.
If you have any comments, suggestions, criticisms, etc, we are prepared to
answer them. We are proud to be #1 for the fourth year in a row!
The new season began on March 1st. All four television stations are tied at this
moment, so everyone has a chance. WeatheRate.com doesn't release the new
standings until 6 weeks of data are collected. This solidifies a real leader by
that time. Otherwise someone could win for a week but overall they fall back to
where they should be. And, one more thing to note. In most almost every other
television market the ratings are close. The lead by the #1 station may be .05
or .18. A 1.01 lead is huge and we are often the #1 station in the nation in
this category.
