How often do you check the weather condition before leaving home or making plans? Being aware of the temperature level of the day is undoubtedly a great advantage. Thanks to this information, we can plan our outfits, some of our day's activities and even take the necessary precautions when driving. This information is especially useful if you live in Texas, where "The only time weather here is consistent is July and August, when it's 100 degrees and sunny every day," WFAA meteorologist Jesse Hawila said. He continued, "Every other month of the year, it's a wild ride, and you never know what to expect." Precisely, last February 2022, Texas has proved true one more time its crazy weather reputation, and news sources do not wait to inform Dallas-Forth Worth residents about it. WFAA News, for example, reported that sleet and freezing rain were threatening to cause issues on the roads on Wednesday and Thursday (Feb. 23 and 24, 2022) in their article "Live updates: Latest on school and polling place closures, icy roads in North Texas." On their own, the report "Freezing temperatures, sleet likely to cause icy conditions throughout Dallas-Fort Worth Feb. 23-24" from Community Impact Newspaper warned about possible ice accumulation from one-tenth to two-tenths of an inch. Both reports used several rhetorical strategies to deliver the most current and precise data about the weather conditions in the mentioned area, which the users of these sources find very valuable.
Reports on temperature changes are especially relevant when the temperature is too high or too low because these extreme temperatures provoke dangerous situations. The Community Impact Newspaper published the report on February 22, 2022, while the WFAA published it on February 23, 2022. Both news sources used logos, ethos and pathos in their content, aiming to persuade readers to be aware of the cold weather and drive safe. For example, the Community Impact Newspaper mentioned, "The weather service is asking residents to prepare for deteriorating road conditions to start Wednesday, Feb. 23, and to worsen Thursday, Feb. 24." The audience may find this statement's credibility (ethos) as high since the information comes from a formal and specialized weather organization. In addition, the writer tried to create an alert state in the readers.
On the other hand, WFAA News reported the consequences the weather conditions were going to bring on the roads and in schools and airports. Also, it informed in detail the authorities' measures to deal with the icy roads. In the statement, "Grapevine police tweeted that bridges and overpasses in the city were "covered in ice," and that officers had already responded to four accidents along Texas 114 and Texas 121," the writer gave it credibility (ethos) by citing an authoritative source. At the same time, it gave the audience a feeling of security when reading that someone was on the road to help and take care of the accidents. This information was beneficial for people who drive through bridges on their routine.
Both articles aim to persuade you to stay at home and trust the authorities. We might think that there can not be persuasion in a weather report, but rhetorician Kenneth Burke claims that rhetoric is everywhere, "wherever there is persuasion, there is rhetoric. And wherever there is 'meaning,' there is 'persuasion.'"
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