BOSTON (WHDH) - The top meteorologist at Boston’s National Weather Service is defending last Tuesday’s nor’easter forecast after getting hit with criticism from many, including Gov. Charlie Baker.
The National Weather Service stood by a forecast that called for high snow totals even after realizing there was a good chance the late-winter blast wasn’t going to produce as much snow in major cities.
Related: Gov. Baker troubled by National Weather Service snow call
Bob Thompson said in a statement released on Tuesday that forecasters “never hold back on information or intentionally provide false or fake information – ever!”
Baker said as a customer he was disappointed the National Weather Service decided to give one message to his administration when a slightly different one was traveling around the office.
“After all, we are part of the community ourselves, and it is always in our best interest to be credible,” Thompson said.
Thompson explained that is was difficult to predict how much sleet and rain would fall as opposed to snow in areas south of Boston.
“Weather forecasting is a challenging business with an inherent level of uncertainty,” Thompson said.
Baker told a local radio station that he had considered calling for a full travel ban based on the information he was getting from the service, but decided against it.
“We simply do not (and have no motivation to) provide anything less than our latest and best thinking to all we serve,” he added.
Read Thompson’s full statement below:
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