荷兰议员：误报天气者应该罚款

荷兰一些地方议员最近提议对错误预报天气状况的预报员进行罚款，称这些“糟糕”的预报严重影响了当地的海滩旅游经济。荷兰旅游景点协会负责人指出，过去一周，全国大部分地区天气都很好，可天气预报却总说会有降雨和雷暴，导致游客都取消出游计划，很多旅游景点都蒙受了损失。他对总部位于希佛萨姆的KNMI气象局提出指责，称“希佛萨姆上空有降雨并不代表国内其他地区也会有降雨”。对此，KNMI气象局发言人回应称，当地电视、广播及报纸媒体从他们那里得到的是天气预报的原始数据，至于如何将其呈现给受众则是各媒体自己的事情。

Local councillors in the Netherlands are calling for weather forecasters who get their predictions wrong to be fined.

The demand comes from Labour councillors in Hoek van Holland who say that "bad" forecasts are spoiling the local seaside trade.

It follow claims that wrong forecasts in both the Netherlands and Belgium are damaging outdoor attractions as day trippers cancel plans to go out because of poor weather prospects.

Joep Thonissen, head of Recron, the Dutch tourist attraction association, said "incorrect" forecasts were causing "considerable damage" to visitor attractions.

He said, "Last week it was really good weather over most of the country but the weather forecasts were full of heavy rain and thunderstorms, so people stayed home."

KNMI, the commercial weather bureau, based at Hilversum, near Amsterdam, whose forecasts are widely used by Dutch TV and newspapers, has been blamed with Mr Thonissen saying: "Heavy rain above Hilversum does not mean that is the case in the rest of the country."

Pieter van Cutsem, who runs a small hotel in Hoek van Holland, agrees that forecasters should be "punished" for incorrect predictions, saying: "Despite having more forecasting tools than ever before they often get it wrong.

"Recent weather reporting has been completely inaccurate and it is hitting local businesses dearly because people are cancelling bookings. I agree they should be fined on the grounds of disseminating incorrerct information."

Cees Molenaars, a spokesman for KNMI told the Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf: "TV, radio and newspapers use the raw data we deliver but it is up to them to how their forecasts turn out."

Last week, tourist attraction bosses in Belgium called for "less pessimistic forecasts" and urged meteorologists to pay as much attention to sun as they do to rain.