Weather stories: some how-and-why

File photos like these can really boost your weather stories.
Toronto Star photo.

Interns write a lot of weather stories.

They're popular with both print and online readers because everybody's affected by it. It's hardly glamorous work, but it's important because it helps news organizations use local issues to maintain strong ties with their readers.

Last year, the Star ran a weather blog compiling the many, many stories we do on the topic. We even write a blog post every weekday morning on our blog, Toronto Now.

The challenge with these stories is to make them interesting and unique. It's easy to fall into a cookie-cutter pattern, which you can avoid by identifying stakeholders, finding quirky angles or digging up past records. Good journalists dig out context rather than just the first available facts.

My best weather story was about how this summer the dry weather matters more than the temperatures everyone focuses on. I explained what caused a record to be broken, how farmers are affected by ongoing trends and how to take caution in the looming heat.

I've also written about weather warnings, be they gusty, muggy or smoggy, and a number of record-breakers. My favourite was one that didn't actually get published. We looked at the affect of a city service strike that almost happened in February, and the unique challenges of a winter strike (yo-yo temperatures cracking more potholes) vs. a summer strike (hot, smelly garbage).