A message to all NJ forecasters who think they know better

About a week before this article was written, there was chatter all over social media about a huge snowstorm coming to New Jersey. And that chatter only got louder as the weekend approached.

It was like a full-blown panic had set in that New Jersey was going to get one of the biggest snowstorms it's ever seen in a long time. Feet of snow? Sure, why not?

But then, that all changed in a hurry once we crossed into Monday. All that hype that spread like wildfire across social media was no more.

Once that big mid-week storm came into focus, it became apparent it was not going play out nearly as big as some had hoped.

First and foremost, forecasters were very careful not to lean into that so far in advance. They were all saying it was way too soon to know for sure if a big snowstorm would hit, and they were right.

To me, it all boils down to the classic definition of insanity. Do the same thing over and over again and expect a different result.

Literally anyone can post the potential of a massive snowstorm that's going to hit one week away (or longer), and we're all going to share it blindly and get into a panic over it because that's what we do.

Then when the time comes and we see either flurries or the sun shining, we instantly blame the true forecaster, even though they were the ones telling us not to believe the hype in the first place.

I personally feel this happens all the time, and it's not fair to our own meteorologists who work very hard to make sure you're properly informed.

I could literally draw a snow map right now saying we're going to get around 36 inches of snow in New Jersey on February 30, and a good portion of those keyboard warriors will take that and run with it.

Never mind the fact that I'm not a meteorologist, or that it absolutely will not snow on February 30 (or... maybe it will).

For those of you who stir up panic, please try to be more aware. Yes, our apps may also feed into the panic, but that's only because most of those are giving us raw data without any analysis (I know, that one can be a trap sometimes that changes constantly).

For New Jersey, one of the absolute best to follow is Chief Meteorologist Dan Zarrow.

Most of our readers and listeners have no idea how hard Dan works behind the scenes to make sure you get the most accurate information. He truly is one of the best both the weather and broadcast industry has ever seen.

My ask for the rest of us is simple. Please stop with the careless sharing, including sharing what your weather app says weeks in advance.

We are that forecaster who thinks we know better, and we have to be careful of that before we hit that share button online.

The above post reflects the thoughts and observations of New Jersey 101.5 Sunday morning host & content contributor Mike Brant. Any opinions expressed are his own.