Weather and Words |
 Dave Thurlow, Host |
On today's page from The Weather Notebook we have the word inclement and use it as a springboard into the confounding selection of words that are used to describe the weather. I'm Dave Thurlow.
Inclement is a good example of one of those words that really only has one use. I've never heard anyone describe anything but the weather as being inclement. It's also one of those formal wordsthat nobody really uses in conversation. And, why isn't the weather ever described as being the opposite of inclement? Boy it sure is a clement day today... I've never heard that. Or how about feeling inclement, instead of feeling under the weather. and just where does that come from? Drop us a line if you have any idea. Another weather word, unsettled. That means rain or snow I guess, but then why don't we use settled when the weather's nice.
There's another word that meteorologists use to describe nice weather, and that is the word fair. But sometimes, the word fair just doesn't seem strong enough. Fair is a word that I always took to mean average. I guess that words such as beautiful, sparkling, sensational or wondrous would be just a bit too poetic for the Weather Service. And what about the word foul, is that really the best way to describe an April shower or a December snow flurry? Even the simple words good and bad, when attached to weather, should be a matter of opinion, at least partly..or is it mostly. After all there is no such thing as bad weather, just inappropriate clothing, -- that's the word from here.
The Weather Notebook is produced by The Mount Washington Observatory in cooperation with New Hampshire Public Radio... funded by The National Science Foundation, and underwritten by Subaru -- the beauty of All-Wheel Drive.