Weather presenters back Hungarian colleagues after being fired for ‘bad waiting’

“My name is also under the letter,” says meteorologist Maurice Middendorp from Buienradar. “Our business is made up of uncertainties and we try to determine the best possible forecast with all the weather models. It is possible that an expectation does not come true, but that is not a reason for rejection.

“Expectations were good”

Middendorp believes that the Hungarian colleagues have set good expectations. “The weather forecast was actually correct, there was a big chance of thunderstorms in Budapest. As a meteorologist, you can’t do anything against the fact that the thunderstorm will then occur further down the road. The weather remains an expectation, not a certainty.”

“With a weather forecast, you let everyone know what you expect to happen based on all available weather knowledge, in the hope that people will prepare well and organizations will make decisions for the safety of people. Just as the organization of the Nijmegen Four Days Marches has one day canceled due to the extreme heat.”

Fireworks canceled

The national meteorological institute OMSZ, the Hungarian KNMI, predicted that there was a 75-80% chance of severe weather in Budapest. Due to this expectation, authorities decided to cancel the fireworks display in the city at the last minute. The weather was magnificent.

Last Monday, the boss of the Hungarian Meteorological Institute and her deputy were fired. An official reason for the dismissal was not given, but according to insiders, the two lost their jobs due to poor expectations.

The weather was key in the decision-making process as in 2006 rough weather caused chaos and panic during the National Day. Five people were killed and more than 300 others were injured.

“They warned of mortal danger”

The dismissal of the meteorologists caused a wave of indignation among weather presenters around the world. This is also the case of Jill Peeters, Belgian weather presenter and initiator of Climat Sans Frontières, an organization of 140 weather presenters from 125 countries. She wrote a petition that was signed by more than 40 colleagues in no time.

The petition states that the international meteorological community stands in solidarity with Hungarian meteorologists. “As meteorologists, our mission is to save the suffering of people and property. When the Hungarian meteorologists saw danger in the patterns, they did what any of us would do – they warned of the danger to life.

High expectations

Meteorologists today work with advanced weather models, which means that forecasts are often correct. The expectations of people who make their decisions on this basis are therefore high. But the petition says an expectation doesn’t always come true, meaning weather forecasters are routinely criticized or blamed.

“The reactions when a hold is not correct, become more aggressive, I notice that too,” says Middendorp. “People take a warning, like a code orange, less seriously. While we meteorologists mainly try to prevent weather-related suffering as much as possible, especially during major events, based on the science.”