EDITORIAL: Weather gods blessed this dynamic duo

Randy Harris.

Cliff Mann.

You’re forgiven if you can’t quite keep them straight.

For the past two decades, The Press has given readers a one-two weather punch with tons of cooperation and crossover: meteorologist Randy Mann and climatologist Cliff Harris. 

In short, Randy lets you know what the weather gods are cooking up for North Idaho over the next few days; Cliff is a long-range weather guru who owns a treasure trove of local weather data reaching back to the 1800s.

Twenty years ago this week, as Randy discussed in his column, the two debuted in The Press. At the time, Cliff wrote the weekly weather column and Randy created the daily weather page. They collaborated almost like a father-son team, which continues to this day. 

Press reporters eagerly call Cliff for details and pithy quotes after a good snowstorm. Editors working the copy desk late at night, one of the hardest, least-appreciated careers in the newspaper biz, worry about power outages and computer capers; they do not, however, spend one minute stressing over whether or not Randy or his colleague, Michelle Bos, will deliver the weather page on time and in perfect digital condition.

We understand that some people rely on the National Weather Service website, local TV weather reports, The Weather Channel and other ubiquitous sources. 

But we also know that Randy and Cliff can tell you far more about your local weather than anyone on the planet. And they do, every single day without fail — including from a hospital bed after a heart attack.

And it’s not just the forecasting. 

For those interested in something beyond the likelihood of needing to take an umbrella to work, Team MannHarris will give a century or so worth of context to major storms, heat waves and meteorological mysteries. Cliff’s Weather Gems, tucked neatly into the Page A2 weather package, offer a fascinating local and national historical tidbit for each day of the year. 

There’s the weekly column, which appears Mondays on cdapress.com and Tuesdays in Press print editions, written for years by Cliff and then handed off to Randy. And Press longtime subscribers eagerly anticipate Randy and Cliff’s annual winter snowfall forecast — predictions that generally come pretty close to the mark (or, as was the case this last winter, hit that sucker on the nose).

So to Randy and Cliff, The Press extends its heartiest congratulations on your 20th anniversary as colleagues and extraordinary contributors. Gentlemen, the readers love you — even (or especially) when you're wrong.