[mandibeet]

My niece recently asked me why it's important to make weather forecasts. I had never really thought about it myself. But it is a very important job! Knowing the weather can affect decisions about travel, outdoor events and work schedules; forecasts help people prepare for severe weather conditions, such as storms, hurricanes or extreme temperatures, potentially saving lives and reducing injuries!

[surfingdino]

Armies, emergency services, farmers, pilots, and sailors can't do their job without it.

[nomel]

> pilots

Pilots usually need to fly regardless. They reroute based on present data, not future. Bad weather still usually cancels all flights at an airport since they can't afford to close down the x% of the time when the local forecast is wrong. I suppose the airport might get the de-icers out of the garage early, but prediction, rather than current state, seems less important for pilots.

> emergency services

Do you have an example? I believe staffing is almost constant for these, since most are union, until extra are needed. I would suspect the only difference would be "it's going to rain heavy next week. you guys on call should expect to be called".

[surfingdino]

There are military, commercial, and private pilots. Each group has different look-ahead needs and approaches to planning and routing flights. If you want to give your brain a little exercise and learn new stuff, read up on various levels of pilots' licenses, endorsements, type ratings, etc. Add to that limits imposed by the aircraft (max operating altitude, speed, de-icing equipment, weight, etc.), airspace classes (how high can you/have to fly, will you be cleared to fly above weather), and jurisdictions (does my aircraft rating allow me to land at my destination given the weather forecast in that area). When you do that, you will understand how important weather forecasting is for pilots.

As for emergency services, it's good to know if/when things are going to get biblical, because you may need to transport additional machinery and personnel to another area, or you may need to prep temporary shelters.

[nomel]

Sorry, I was only thinking in commercial context. I mistakenly excluded military with "armies" and private with "job".

> If you want to give your brain a little exercise and learn new stuff

Absolutely unnecessary.

[shaggie76]

I've never known someone so mindful of the weather forecast as my uncle the farmer: is it too soon to plant? Should I irrigate or wait just a few days longer? If I don't harvest now will my fields get too muddy for the tractor?

[_neil]

Agriculture is a big one. We have an independent forecaster locally that posts on Facebook. People tend to check in with him around hurricane and snow storm times. It seems like his paying clients are mainly farmers.

[SoftTalker]

Is the farmer's almanac no longer popular?

[ohthatsnotright]

As a gag gift, maybe.