Have a Rochester weather tip? We want to hear from you

Steve Howe, Rochester Democrat and Chronicle
Updated ·2 min read

Hey Rochester!

It’s been great to be back working in the area and keeping an eye on the weather as we begin meteorological winter.

In the first week, I was greeted by numerous kind emails that welcomed me back to the area and shared insights about how winter has changed during their time here. I was heartened by the number of messages casting a positive light on living in the Rochester area, too. I have a lot of fond memories of my time in the region, and I’m excited to make new ones.

This has been a positive learning experience for me, including the opportunity to write about the first significant snowfall of the season — along with a look over the historical data. Putting our weather into context will be an interesting part of my new role and I’m looking forward to poring over the data.

Downtown buildings are lit with holiday lights.
Downtown buildings are lit with holiday lights.

I’ve also received some feedback about the use of “climate crisis” in my job title, which is something I’d like to address moving ahead. The language used to discuss the ramifications of climate change is important and worth discussing.

One message that also caught my eye talked about the longtime tradition of backyard ice rinks in the winter. If you do, or used to, create an ice rink in your backyard, please reach out. I’m interested in chatting with people who have, to hear more about how the rinks were made and if they’ve seen any changes over the years.

What, the hail? Or anything else unusual.

On Sunday, there was a storm system that brought possible hail to Henrietta. As unique weather hits the Rochester area, I’ll take a moment to explain what we’re seeing and the conditions that cause it. See a unique bit of weather near you? Feel free to reach out.

One aspect of this job that I’ll be immersing myself in soon will be short videos addressing different weather and climate topics. Stayed tuned for these videos on democratandchronicle.com and social media.

I can be reached at showe@gannett.com and I look forward to hearing from all of you!

— Steve Howe covers weather, climate and lake issues for the Democrat and Chronicle and sometimes misses his childhood sledding hill. Have any insight into changing weather or climate? Share with him at showe@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: Have a Rochester NY weather tip? We want to hear from you