Read this to see if it actually snowed in Modesto last week after all | Opinion
In a tepid search for people who frolicked in Modesto’s snowmageddon Friday morning, I’m afraid the trail has gone cold.
Lots of people saw the same iPhone weather app showing 45 degrees and “snow for the next hour” that my family did, lasting at least 90 minutes on Feb. 3. In an online column, I reported a wet mist outside my Salida home but no sign of snow or anything approaching it.
Without much faith, I asked readers to let me know if they indeed witnessed any snow here that day. Brace for the chilling results:
- A Facebook reader posted photos of something that might resemble a few snowflakes on a windshield, taken from inside the vehicle. She hasn’t yet responded to a direct message for more info, and that’s not exactly what self-respecting journalists consider reliable proof. But I guess it’s something. Or maybe the windshield was a little dirty. It’s hard to tell.
- A trusted source noted comments posted on social media by someone we both know who reported that someone she knows said they saw snow.
- Someone mused that the app must have mixed us up with Salida, Colo.
People got a kick out of my wife blaming it on the Chinese spy balloon, which had not yet been shot down at that point.
Weather app explainer
I’m more inclined to go with Apple Explained’s short video titled “Why iPhone’s weather app is so inaccurate.” YouTuber Greg Wyatt Jr. notes the app compiles weather data “from a variety of sources, with the Weather Channel being one of the largest.” Although that source is among three with the best ratings, with an accuracy record of 82%, that still means it’s off 18% of the time, or more than a day each week, Wyatt says.
His conclusion: the iPhone weather app is pretty good if you want temperature readings, but if you’re looking for storm predictions, stick with the meteorologist on your local TV news channel.
None of which, by the way, reported any trace of snowfall after the fact in Modesto. Or Salida. Or anywhere near here.
During Friday’s snow scare, I had checked three other respected forecast sources, including the Weather Channel, and all showed rain in Modesto that day, not snow. Still, Wyatt’s explanation makes sense.
Another reader wryly suggested this fix: “Update your phone — to an Android. Lol. It was an iPhone phenomenon, not a weather event.”
