National Weather Service meteorologists are poets and they know it!
NOAA operates 122 weather forecast offices across the United States
We’ve all heard of the ice bucket challenge, the ghost pepper challenge and a plethora of other occasions that are meant to test skills and endurance, but what about writing a forecast in the form of a poem? Well, thanks to the National Weather Service Office in Pittsburgh, it is now the newest dare on social media.
Meteorologist Jason Frazier - no relation to our own FOX Weather’s Jason Frazer - was working on the forecast for western Pennsylvania when he saw what many meteorologists dread - keeping people interested in the weather when skies are fair and temperatures are near normal.
"When you have those quiet weather days, you’re looking for ways to change things up, and so we just brought up the idea and ran with it," Frazier said.
The NWS meteorologist came up with a poem that drew some attention.
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Around 24 hours later and still faced with chamber of commerce weather under a ridge of high pressure, Frazier and his colleagues came up with a second stanza that some believe was even better than the first.
As is common in many job fields, meteorology is naturally competitive, and fellow NWS meteorologists from coast to coast took to social media to display their literary skills.
NWS offices in states such as New York, Ohio, California, Washington and others joined the movement to inform the public about the short-term forecast, all while doing it in style.
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Some of the poems are better than others, and the originator of the challenge said they are rather simple to complete.
![San Francisco National Weather Service Poem]()
Image 1 of 7San Francisco National Weather Service Poem (San Francisco National Weather Service)
![Los Angeles National Weather Service Poem]()
Image 2 of 7Los Angeles National Weather Service Poem (Los Angeles National Weather Service)
![Las Vegas National Weather Service Poem]()
Image 3 of 7Las Vegas National Weather Service Poem (Las Vegas National Weather Service)
![San Diego National Weather Service Poem]()
Image 4 of 7San Diego National Weather Service Poem (San Diego National Weather Service)
![Seattle National Weather Service Poem]()
Image 5 of 7Seattle National Weather Service Poem (Seattle National Weather Service)
![Seattle National Weather Service]()
Image 6 of 7Seattle National Weather Service Poem (Seattle National Weather Service)
![Wilmington, Ohio, National Weather Service Poem]()
Image 7 of 7Wilmington, Ohio, National Weather Service Poem (Wilmington, Ohio, National Weather Service)
"I think we did it on the fly. I wouldn’t say there’s any sort of education or background to it. I also got little kids, so if you read enough Dr. Seuss books, your brain ends up thinking in rhyme," Frazier said.
With only 122 forecast offices around the country, the poem challenge will likely run its course rather quickly, with some already asking what the next craze will be.
One thing is for certain - foreseeing the next viral sensation could be more difficult than predicting the weather.