As the storm named Juno bears down on the eastern coast of the United States, weather forecasters are going bonkers with their warnings. The storm is getting funny names, such as Snowmageddon. It is supposed to last a few days, and everyone from New York to Boston is alerted over and over again about the heavy snowfall accompanied by blistering winds. Many forecasters are already being ridiculed on the World Wide Web for their exaggerations. I have seen a few clips of television forecasts, and I could not but join the growing laughter. Climate change has its funny side, no doubt. The worse the weather gets, the funnier will the forecasters become, as well. But where will they find words that are scary enough in the years to come if they are already going for the bible? The Koran?

Addendum (January 27, 2015)

So, what happened? Precious little, it appears. Snowmageddon has turned into a farce. Many of the forecasters have already apologized for the panic they have fomented. Most important, the ban on travel in the region has also been lifted. So much for forecasting. And science, for that matter, including the moribund meteorology.