Why Are People Complaining About Lawton’s Lack Of Weather Activity?

Once again, after multiple days of warnings from meteorologists and weather outlets about the chance of big spring-ish weather this past weekend, why are people complaining about Lawton's lack of tornadic action? It's as if some Karen's have forgotten how to be thankful these days.

I get it. At some point, we all become a little deaf to the "worst-case" scenario saber-rattling that usually comes with any chance of big weather. It's almost always the same as spring rolls around each year. After a usually uneventful and reasonably enjoyable winter, that instability swoops in from the North and South and we're normally close to the bullseye for where it lands.

In April, the casual conversation becomes weather plans. Tornado shelter plans. Power outage kits. Do we have batteries? Blankets? Radio? Power backup? etc... and when the storms behave like they almost always do and bypass Lawton altogether, we stand around and complain about how bad the forecasts are. That is what's happening today, at least on my social media. It has to stop.

I'm sure there are plenty of people between Frederick and OKC that are in angst about the damage the storms did to their property this weekend. Nine confirmed tornadoes, racquetball-sized hail, how are people unhappy it didn't hit here in Lawton?

Don't get me wrong, I understand the mentality of worrying and planning for something for a few days and then not getting the opportunity to shine when the prediction doesn't come true, but that's always a best-case scenario.

Besides, meteorology isn't an exact science. There's still a lot of unknowns and variables that can't be accurately predicted yet. Compared to what it was like in the 1960s and 1970s when the science first took off, those people would assume our weather people were gypsies with crystal balls.

Yes, the wall-to-wall coverage and chasing a storm well into places outside our viewing area gets a little old, but when the weather is the only reason people tune in, you have to strike while the iron is hot. Besides, we should be thankful we have our own couple of weather teams in SWOK. Lord knows the OKC meteorologists only talk about SWOK when there's absolutely nothing else going on closer to the metro.

We were lucky enough to get a little rain and some rumbling thunder in Lawton on a day when even the National Weather Service predicted widespread tornadoes specifically for us. There's no reason to complain they were all wrong.