Last August, the Chronicle’s fine science writer, Eric Berger, began his popular SciGuy blog shortly before Hurricane Katrina hammered the central Gulf Coast. On the Saturday morning before Katrina hit, Eric and I were two of the earliest bloggers to recommend that people get out of New Orleans immediately and, in so doing, discovered each other. Since that time, Eric has become my go-to source for science information generally and hurricane information, in particular.
In this Chronicle article and related blog post, Eric predicts that there is a good chance that Tropical Storm Chris will become this season’s first Gulf hurricane by early next week (but maybe not, too). As a result, if you haven’t done so already, be sure to bookmark Eric’s blog and check it regularly — there is no better local source for hurricane information and analysis. His blog is yet another example of how weblogs have revolutionized the way in which specialized information is disseminated in American society.
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I’m sensing the we will be seeing everyone call for general panic whenever a storm approaches the leeward islands. In that vein, let me join in and scream “EVERYONE PANIC!”
You state:
“Eric predicts that there is a good chance that Tropical Storm Chris will become this season’s first Gulf hurricane by early next week. As a result, if you haven’t done so already, be sure to bookmark Eric’s blog and check it regularly — there is no better local source for hurricane information and analysis.”
Not to be skeptical of your endorsement of him, but exactly where did Eric study meteorology and what makes Eric’s storm forecasting abilities any better than those available from the National Weather Service or PSC?
Charles, I’m not certain of Eric’s science educational background, although I’m reasonably sure that he graduated undergrad school with a journalism degree from a good journalism school, I believe the University of Missouri.
Regardless of his educational background, Eric’s specialization in science writing has resulted in his articles and blogs becoming a fine source for science-related research. For example, his series for the Chronicle several years ago about what would occur if a major hurricane hit New Orleans was prescient in regard to what occurred last summer.
As for his stormcasting abilities being better than the NWS or the PSC, I didn’t suggest that they were. However, his blog will provide you with a greater number of sources of hurricane-related information than either of those sites provide.
I’ve known Eric since 2000 when he covered the arena campaign and I was involved with it. He was a science major in college and had always wanted to move into that role at the Chron or some other paper.
One thing I can tell you is that Eric is unfailingly thorough in his efforts. There are times that he is a tad on the pessimistic side, in my opinion, but his information is accurate even if his opinion may slightly lean towards the nervous.
To me, he is a very reliable source for info on tropical weather in Houston. Outside that, the NHCC, Colorado State University and Dr. Jeff Masters at Weather Underground are the only sources I’ll use for information. Accuweather, the Weather Channel and (God help us) local news have more interest in ad revenue than they do in giving accurate information.
Eric is a very good guy and his information is extremely reliable and he is not nearly as slanted towards the fear mongering of guys like Joe Bastardi.
I wasn’t trying to insinuate that Eric wasn’t interested in science or that he wasn’t a good journalist. What I was focusing on was Tom’s comment that “Eric predicts that there is a good chance that Tropical Storm Chris will become this season’s first Gulf hurricane by early next week.” I am trying to ascertain whether Eric’s prediction of the development of a tropical storm into a hurricane was founded on Eric’s credentials as a trained meteorologist.
I find it amazing when journalists interview other journalists as if the person being interviewed is actually qualified to offer expert opinion on the given subject. In my humble opinion, too many journalists today believe that having earned a degree in journalism makes them accepted experts in any given field. Its akin to actors playing the role of a lawyer on television and then believing they are qualified to offer legal advice. Its disrepectful to those who are truly trained and dedicated professionals in their fields.
While I will continue to read Eric’s work, when he predicts furture storm intensity I will respectfully defer to the opinions of the professionals, not those of the journalists.