Hourly updates on the TV about it, websites dedicated to the minutia of it, weekly magazine entertainment programmes at peak times specialising in it – but, why?
Surely it is not that important. We spend about 70% of our time indoors, we have the technology to deal with all but the most extreme weather events but still I am bombarded from every angle with prediction for tomorrow, the weekend or the summer.
Let me tell you, the weather cannot be predicted accurately for more than about 24 hours in advance. It cannot be predicted that the following weekend will be gorgeous on a Monday. The BBC website’s 5 day forecast (for my post code!) is not gospel. And, even if it were, why bother about it? Your BBQ can be a party indoors – people will probably eat better, drink less and avoid sunburn. Your camping trip will still be rubbish. Your wedding is going ahead whatever happens (unless you decide not to turn up but that is nothing to do with the weather).
The electric light, central heating, the televsion, the pub, the cinema, the PC, the games consol – all weather independent – and probably the majority of people’s free time covered.
The only thing weather is good for is small talk. The only thing guaranteed to get you through that 2 minutes of knuckle knawing awkwardness with a new aquaintance that you have no interest in, nor will you ever lay eyes on again. It is inoffensive, always there and everyone is an expert – can we just stop being so obsessive?
This is the sort of resolve that you need when you live in the west coast of Scotland, lets face it generally it will be raining.
In a part of the world where the natural skin tone is pale blue, yet there are probably more T-shirts sold per capita and worn summer and winter in optimistic anticipation that one day, when the sun graces us, we can head in our thousands to the sandy beaches of Troon for an ice cream and a double helping of sun burn. Oh I can`t wait.