Where did Bill Hankins get his meteorology degree?

The Paris News is not known for its accurate reporting and erudition, but I believe it has achieved a new low. No one who lived in Paris April 2, 1982, will ever forget that day. The city was hit by a tornado that devastated the northern portion of town. Several people lost their lives, many were injured, and hundreds lost homes, businesses, and other property.

On April 1 this year, the National Weather Service forecast for the following day was for spring storms, some of which could be severe. I checked their website, and the risk was slight for tornadoes and moderate for hail. But according to Bill Hankins in his front page article, "The weather stage is set for a possible repeat of the devastating tornado that hit Paris on April 2, 1982. . . To the day, 28 years later, the weather has set the pattern for a possible repeat of the events of 1982."

Having survived that unusual tornado (it stayed on the ground for at least a couple of hundred miles and, if memory serves me, was almost a mile wide), many people in Paris are deathly afraid of stormy weather. If one of those people read that, they'd be on the verge of a nervous breakdown! Talk about fear-mongering! If the NWS or local emergency personnel really thought that was going to happen, don't you think they would have been issuing warnings and telling people to be sure they were stocked up on water, batteries, and other emergency supplies? Thankfully, the NWS is not in the business of creating panic, but it appears The Paris News is.

"Severe weather in the forecast." The Paris News; April 1, 2010; p. 1A.