The purpose of this experiment
was to determine which news station, NBC10, KYW3, or FOX29, is
the most accurate when forecasting weather within a 24 hour period.
To carry out this experiment, the three news stations were watched
for their late night weather predictions in the categories of
high temperature and general conditions. All forecasted data was
compared to the actual high temperature and conditions recorded
in the Philadelphia Almanac of the Philadelphia Inquirer. The
accuracy of each day's predictions from all three stations was
rated on a point system.
KYW3 was the most accurate in its late night weather predictions
in both categories. KYW3, with 125 points, was 3% more accurate
than FOX29, with 121 points, in forecasting the high temperature
and general conditions; FOX29 was 12% more accurate than NBC10,
with 108 points, in forecasting the high temperature and general
conditions.
KYW3 was the most accurate because its meteorologists were able
to interpret better raw data given to them by the
National Weather Service and by their WSI equipment. The special
equipment gives data and computes information. All of KYW3's forecasters,
Tom Lehmain, John Stailin, and Carole Erickson have years of experience
in weather reporting that enable them to make more precise predictions.
All three stations use WSI equipment, but the difference in the
predictions seems to be the meteorologists' interpretations of
raw data.
