2/8: Top 10 Reasons Pollsters Would Make Good Meteorologists

By Dr. Lee M. Miringoff

The top 10 reasons pollsters would make good meteorologists are:

10. When surprised by a wintry forecast, a pollster already has experience using a big shovel to dig out
9. If a tornado is in the forecast, a pollster can instruct everyone on how to spin
8. When in doubt about tomorrow’s weather, a pollster can reference the ‘ol perfessor Casey Stengel (he taught Yogi Berra about Yogi-isms). “It’s very difficult making predictions, especially about the future”
7. Pollsters are already familiar with the map of the country although they are confused why meteorologists don’t color the states red and blue
6. Pollsters are 95% confident that, if they spot a few snowflakes, there are likely to be more
5. Pollsters are able to provide precise estimates of likely temperatures as in: “Expect tomorrow to be about 32 degrees, plus or minus 3 degrees”
4. Pollsters are experienced with anticipating landslides before they occur
3. Pollsters know that early predictions are about as reliable as the Farmer’s Almanac
2. A pollster knows that if the temperature is 80 degrees in Florida but only 40 degrees in Pennsylvania, the average temperature is 60
1. Pollsters have learned the hard way what a 70% chance of snow really means