The Mysterious Meteorologist has been on such a break lately, we’ve decided to ask them a question on the future of Television Weather.

Here at our shop, the struggling economy has certainly had an effect. But I think it has only strengthened our commitment to weather coverage. Weather is the one thing that local news brings to the table in a way that no one else can. The investment in weather technology at television stations is not an accident. We just upgraded our entire weather system, including radar, to keep ahead of the technology curve heading into the digital age. While we are all having to do more with less, it remains as important as ever to provide quality, informative weather coverage.

We will continue to go wall to wall during severe weather. But now with our new radar interface, our on-air meteorologist can completely operate the radar controls from the weather wall with on-screen interactive touch menus. This frees up a person in the weather office that used to be running the radar controls to do other things to enhance the coverage. Conceivably, you could do everything yourself from the wall. That is an exciting new technological advance that keeps us in position to not only get by, but to do better coverage than we ever have before.

I think there will always be a place at the table for quality local weather. The way that it is presented and disseminated may change over the years. But it will always be information that people will want readily available presented by a professional they can trust.