The funny side of a hurricane

[DrQ]

This is a scream
"When Hurricane Florence made landfall in North Caroline, Weather Channelreporter Mike Seidel was out in the storm reporting live. As he struggled to maintain his balance against the high winds and rain, Seidel says, “This is about as nasty as it’s been.” Meanwhile, two men can be seen in the background strolling casually with no effort in the rain. The video has since gone viral and Seidel is being accused of exaggerating.

The Weather Channel made a statement to the Washington Post in regards to the video (which can be watched below) saying: “It’s important to note that the two individuals in the background are walking on concrete, and Mike Seidel is trying to maintain his footing on wet grass, after reporting on-air until 1:00 a.m. ET this morning and is undoubtedly exhausted.”"

 

[DaveNV]

"Epic winds," my foot. He got busted trying to make it worse than it really was. When I saw this a few days ago I laughed out loud. Anybody remember the "Wind 2000" skit on MAD TV all those years ago? "We've never seen anything like it! Winds are maybe 10, 15 miles an hour!" Same thing.

Dave

 

[breezez]

Back in 2005 I think. I was in panhandle of Florida at a bar when they were filming news for hurricane some where in that area. News go was looking like he could barely stand. And you see a little old lady go across the screen behind him in a rain jacket walking her small dog. She seemed to be able to walk fine.

The news tends to make it always seem worse, I always like the way it’s not safe, get out, listen to our warnings, but we are going to stay and stand out in it reporting live because we are tuff. It just seems wrong to warn people to get out only to have media stay videoing every thing.

No disrespect for those in aftermath of this last hurricane. I hope the flooding resides soon and you can begin the clean up process and putting your lives back together.

 

[Panina]

Really not funny, very sad.

People need true reporting. While a reporter over exaggerates conditions in a certain area people can go elsewhere based on the report that could be dangerous.

The station is just as wrong as the reporter, how can we believe anything from them in the future when they make excuses.

So many were in areas where horrible conditions were and this reporter was making believe it was happening to him at that time, Inexcusable.

 

[Jan M.]

If you've ever been on your phone in a strong wind or been talking to someone who was on theirs then you know how hard it is to hear and be heard. When reporters aren't faking it you can hear the wind through their microphones. The best part was when we had the Weather Channel on and the guy is standing in front of a small floating dock. Its bobbing with the waves but not that bad and he's saying look how bad it is and how bad the waves are. The only people who would think those waves were bad would be someone who has never spent much time at a beach on the East coast. If it were bad the waves would have been swamping that dock!

This little boy who cried wolf kind of reporting is dangerous. The next time people may not take the storm warnings seriously.

 

[easyrider]

It must be ratings I guess. I think some reporters get it and some don't. This one got it. I didn't know if I should laugh or cry but I did laugh and then thought ouch.

Bill

 

[pedro47]

This is fake news the so call weather person cannot stand up; but all the debris behind him does not move. Plus those two individual behind have no problems walking.

 

[Talent312]

I'm reminded of a skit I saw (SNL maybe) where the weather guy is standing in front of a large fan and water from a hose is sprayed on it. He's standing in a studio in a rain suit.

 

[Bucky]

Not to say he isn’t exaggerating but there are wind shear factors that may come into play here that none of us are aware of! Not to say this is the case but the wind coming at this guy may have been gusting very hard and 100’ away they may not have felt hardly anything. Very easy to say fake news in today’s environment.

 

[jd2601]

This is an older news report but enjoyed Today Show reporting.

 

[bluehende]

Not to say he isn’t exaggerating but there are wind shear factors that may come into play here that none of us are aware of! Not to say this is the case but the wind coming at this guy may have been gusting very hard and 100’ away they may not have felt hardly anything. Very easy to say fake news in today’s environment.

I was skiing once in a blizzard. A gust came up the slope that pushed me 20 to 30 ft uphill before placing me on my butt. My brother was 40 ft away from me and felt nothing because he had some trees protecting him. There are many factors that could cause this scene to be exactly as shown. No one can say for sure he didn't exaggerate , but also calling this guy fake and dangerous is also over the top.

 

[DrQ]

I was skiing once in a blizzard. A gust came up the slope that pushed me 20 to 30 ft uphill before placing me on my butt. My brother was 40 ft away from me and felt nothing because he had some trees protecting him.

Winds swirl, it's vortex shedding based off of the Strouhal number. It would have knocked this guy on his posterior too. The guys in the background were also exposed, so if the entire wind field was gusting, they would have been exposed too. This guy is giving the impression of a sustained wind. The only one "exposed" was the weather guy.

 

[dioxide45]

Winds swirl, it's vortex shedding based off of the Strouhal number. It would have knocked this guy on his posterior too. The guys in the background were also exposed, so if the entire wind field was gusting, they would have been exposed too. This guy is giving the impression of a sustained wind. The only one "exposed" was the weather guy.

I would have also expected to see some movement in the sign behind him. Perhaps the plastic insert with the name on it at least moving if it truly was "as nasty as it has been." It is also odd that he is leaning in the direction the wind is going, usually if someone is bracing for the wind, they would be leaning in to the wind, not with it.

 

[bluehende]

Winds swirl, it's vortex shedding based off of the Strouhal number. It would have knocked this guy on his posterior too. The guys in the background were also exposed, so if the entire wind field was gusting, they would have been exposed too. This guy is giving the impression of a sustained wind. The only one "exposed" was the weather guy.

To calculate that number you need the wind speed. With the tight shot you have no idea what is off camera to vary the wind speed. There are many things that can vary wind speeds and you know very few of them. I believe fluid dynamics would be the appropriate science. I did not do that well in that class, but understand that a obstruction gives a calm behind that obstruction and a restriction speeds it up quickly.

 

[DrQ]

I believe fluid dynamics would be the appropriate science.

BS Aeronautical Engineering

I'm really not dogging you. I've worked in wind tunnels and in college, we did research in wind turbulence in cities. I also worked on a project where we simulated flow through a heat exchanger.

I did not see any clues of the level of wind that he was showing. Look at the leaves blowing just a few feet from him. Have you ever experienced horizontal rain? I have. Those leaves would have shot across the frame (Yes, there is a boundary layer of slower air, but only an inch or two). Why isn't he leaning into the wind? If the wind were a problem, why did he pick uneven ground to stand? (Getting an advertising shot?)

He was probably in 15-20 mph wind, and part of it is protecting the microphone from the wind, but I think he over dramatized it.

 

[Bucky]

Maybe I’m missing it but there is plenty of wind visible by the movement in the weeds or grass at the bottom of the sign he’s standing close to. Also, check out the tree on the right side and look at those guys shorts and the way they are blowing forward. But then again, the fake news explanation is the easy way out.

 

[bluehende]

BS Aeronautical Engineering

I'm really not dogging you. I've worked in wind tunnels and in college, we did research in wind turbulence in cities. I also worked on a project where we simulated flow through a heat exchanger.

I did not see any clues of the level of wind that he was showing. Look at the leaves blowing just a few feet from him. Have you ever experienced horizontal rain? I have. Those leaves would have shot across the frame (Yes, there is a boundary layer of slower air, but only an inch or two). Why isn't he leaning into the wind? If the wind were a problem, why did he pick uneven ground to stand? (Getting an advertising shot?)

He was probably in 15-20 mph wind, and part of it is protecting the microphone from the wind, but I think he over dramatized it.

bs in environmental engineering. I have experienced being in 2 hurricanes. Both were minimal and believe me even as a young man standing up in hurricane to near hurricane winds is hard. They are also very gusty. As an engineer I imagine you know the film of galloping gertie. The guy walking up the middle of a bridge that is oscillating in the wind would look pretty fake too.

I think we are talking about 2 different things. I will use Mt Washington in NH to illustrate my point. If you are on the Leeward side it is perfectly calm and when that wind block goes away you have potential for 232 mph winds with the compression on the windward slope.

Also trying to stand against a wind gust is much harder than if you are walking into it.