Advertisement

arts entertainmentTV

How many ways can you say 'hot'? The struggle is real for TV meteorologists as 100-degree days pile up

If you're tired of the high temperatures, how do you think a local weatherman feels? You might be surprised.

Grant Johnston of NBC5 gets to stand in front of a never-changing map and find new ways to tell you the same thing. That it's hot, and it's likely to stay that way for several days. Or until November.

"It's definitely a challenge," says Johnston via email. "I find myself going to the thesaurus a lot. ... However, the best advice I received was from a mentor of mine several years ago. He encouraged me to come up with a list of ways to say the same thing. He called it 'a bag of tricks' (just like a magician). Whenever I come up with a unique or creative phrase to describe something, I write it down on the list. That way, when I need something I just resort to my 'bag of tricks.'

Advertisement

"By the way, it used to be a physical list, now it's mostly memorized."

News Roundups

Catch up on the day's news you need to know.

Or with:

So he deals with it As you do, with your cooling scarf and your water bottle of choice and your miniature fan that attaches to your cell phone and your air conditioning at full blast.

Has he seen the meme of a picture of him standing next to a crawl that reads 1,000 degrees? Of course, he has.

Advertisement

"Ha! It's actually not a meme," he says, and then admits to making it. "I was having some fun one morning and created that graphic intentionally. I asked my co-workers and they thought it was a legit mistake. That just proves I'm a good actor because it was on purpose for a joke. After all, it's felt like 1,000, hasn't it?"

His colleagues get other jokes, though. They tease him about having to say the same thing, day after day, broadcast after broadcast.

Advertisement

Says Johnston: "It can be tough filling 2-3 minutes of weather coverage when it's just 'severe clear' and hot!"

But there's a bright side (not too much sun, though).

"Sure, this time of year the weather pattern can start to drag," Johnston says. "However, it's usually a nice break coming out of the busy storm season when the hours can get very long. Typically, this time of year is when most of us get our vacations in."

He likes the days when he can report on "big changes in the forecast." You know, like those paralyzing weather events in February for which North Texas is famous.

"Whether it's a big temperature drop coming, a chance of storms, or a winter storm on the horizon, it's fun to see a big development in the models and relay that to the viewer," Johnston says. "Breaking weather coverage is the most exciting, though ... Those are the big events that force me to be on my game."

Need help beating the heat? Here's some advice from a friendly neighborhood weatherman:

1. I'm spending a lot of time indoors with our 8-month-old son. It's too hot to get him out much, so we've been laying low. In general, I think that's good advice for anyone. I call it the 'summer hibernation' here in North Texas.

Advertisement

2. For those who have no choice and have to work out in this heat, it's imperative to drink a ton of water.

3. Also, listen to your body and use the buddy system, keeping an eye on one another. If your buddy starts feeling bad or isn't making sense, get inside or get help.

Hot or not, there's some news that's useful.

For more TV news, views and reviews, follow @DawnBurkes on Twitter.