Razer writes: “What is the difference between partly sunny and partly cloudy? If either one is ‘partly’ that means the other is ‘partly’ also. Is this some sort of government mumbo jumbo meant to confuse us so we don't know if it's raining or we're getting p*****d on?”

Ask Red says:  In the shell game known as weather forecasting it is all about accuracy. So, the more ambiguous a weatherperson can be, the more times he or she may appear to be correct. You are right, “partly sunny” is the same as “partly cloudy” and really explains nothing. It is akin to predicting there is a 50 percent chance of rain. You have to remember, the people in this “profession” are frustrated. They are at the mercy of Mother Nature and prove quite often they really don’t know what they are talking about. That is why if they happen to get one right they high five each other or take credit for nice sunny days. One tool who works for WSIL even talks in the third person such as “We’re bringing you a nice weekend to get out in the yard.” How pathetic.

A study of TV weatherfolks in Kansas City found they correctly predicted that, one day out, rain or no rain 85 percent of the time. That might seems great but, historically, 86 percent of the time it doesn’t rain that area. Forecasting seven days out their kill rate dropped to 73 percent. In another study, forecasters called for the winter of 2007/08 to be mild. It turned out to be on the coldest in seven years.  And yet, we keep watching them.