# Does anyone check to see whether weather predictions were correct?s

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-check-to-see-whether-weather-predictions-were-correct-s/809177>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [February 20, 2018, 6:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-check-to-see-whether-weather-predictions-were-correct-s/809177 "2018-02-20T06:14:44Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 6\
**Page:** 2

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**Author:** ![rbroome](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/838e76/32.png) [@rbroome](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rbroome)\
**Post date:** [February 22, 2018, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-check-to-see-whether-weather-predictions-were-correct-s/809177/21 "2018-02-22T17:24:22Z")

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All the weather models rely on comparing their predictions to observations. That is how they keep their models real.  
So yes, people compare model predictions to observations on a regular (like every 6 hours) basis.  
🙂

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**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\
**Post date:** [February 22, 2018, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-check-to-see-whether-weather-predictions-were-correct-s/809177/22 "2018-02-22T17:40:06Z")

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**watchwolf49** , magnetohydrogoddamnics is even worse.

EDIT: Oh, and congratulations on your word coinage: Google has never seen that term before, but it’s quite apt.

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**Author:** ![gnoitall](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bb73d2/32.png) [@gnoitall](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gnoitall)\
**Post date:** [February 22, 2018, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-check-to-see-whether-weather-predictions-were-correct-s/809177/23 "2018-02-22T19:26:31Z")

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> [@kenobi\_65](#):
>
> I’ve been a weather nerd for my entire life; I fully intended to become a meteorologist until I was 16 or 17, and discovered just how much high-level math and physics you needed for a degree in meteorology. 🙂

> [@watchwolf49](#):
>
> Hydrogoddamnics … about the longest equations in any scientific field …

More importantly than [del]hydrodynamics[/del] hydrogoddamnics is [del]thermodynamics[/del] thermogoddamnics. Most of the science of forecasting is about heat flows. The atmosphere is a huge undifferentiated heat engine. And thermo is one of the other physics topics that make undergrads seriously contemplate changing major to philosophy or something squishy like that. 🙂

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**Author:** ![gnoitall](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bb73d2/32.png) [@gnoitall](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gnoitall)\
**Post date:** [February 22, 2018, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-check-to-see-whether-weather-predictions-were-correct-s/809177/24 "2018-02-22T19:28:19Z")

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> [@Chronos](#):
>
> **watchwolf49** , magnetohydrogoddamnics is even worse.
> 
> EDIT: Oh, and congratulations on your word coinage: Google has never seen that term before, but it’s quite apt.

BTW, MHD is part of another meteorological discipline: space weather. (AKA “applied astrophysics”)

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**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\
**Post date:** [February 22, 2018, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-check-to-see-whether-weather-predictions-were-correct-s/809177/25 "2018-02-22T19:37:23Z")

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OK, “thermogoddamnics” does have a smattering of hits (132, as of this moment).

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**Author:** ![watchwolf49](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e9c0ed/32.png) [@watchwolf49](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/watchwolf49)\
**Post date:** [February 22, 2018, 10:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-check-to-see-whether-weather-predictions-were-correct-s/809177/26 "2018-02-22T22:11:32Z")

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> [@Chronos](#):
>
> [snip] … magnetohydrogoddamnics … [snap]

It takes nerves of steel to post that word … [shivers] … I admire your courage …

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