Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

The Myth Of The Five-Day Forecast: A Study Of Television Weather Accuracy And Audience Perceptions Of Accuracy In Columbus, Ohio, Jeffrey M. Demas

Communications Faculty Scholarship

Television weather has not been studied in a communication journal since 1982, despite technological advances and a reliance on forecasts by a transient public.This study measured accuracy of weather forecasts in central Ohio and found that stations were very accurate in predicting within 48 hours,but extended forecasts were quite inaccurate. Interviews with local television weathercasters revealed that they use the extended forecast as a marketing tool. Telephone interviews with 315 central Ohio residents revealed that they not only rely on the five-day forecasts, but believe them to be accurate.Television was cited as the dominant resource for weather information, and a …