Cecily Tynan Promises “This Winter Will Be Different”

Philadelphia weather forecaster Cecily Tynan of 6ABC (Getty Images)

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Cecily Tynan Promises “This Winter Will Be Different”

The last few winters in Philadelphia have been downright disappointing from a snow perspective, unless you’re a curmudgeonly person who hates snow, in which case, you were thrilled. Last winter brought in just three-tenths of an inch of snow. Sleds never saw the light of day. Not a snowball was thrown. Children were apoplectic in their disappointment.

But Cecily Tynan and Adam Joseph just released their long-range winter weather outlook and, well, we could be in for a couple of feet of snow this winter. I say “could” because, for one thing, these long-range winter forecasts are kind of ridiculous. Former NBC 10 meteorologist Glenn “Hurricane” Schwartz, who always maintained that he was the first in the market to deliver winter forecasts, gave up on them a few years back. (He explained why here.) And Tynan and Joseph readily admitted on air last night that they had “low confidence” in their own prediction. In other words, Hey, kids. Don’t throw away those sleds just yet. But also don’t be mad at us if we’re totally wrong. Because we basically have no idea. Just like you.

All that said, Tynan and Joseph did a good job of explaining why the chances for a couple of bigger storms this year may be good. And Tynan goes into lots of detail about how “this winter will be different.” Shockingly, they both managed to restrain themselves from dropping in terms like bombogenesis and snowpocalypse.

Watch their full report here:

The Kelly Oubre Mystery

Because I’m oblivious to all things basketball related, I hadn’t heard the name Kelly Oubre until reports emerged that he had been the victim of a hit-and-run accident over the weekend. It sounded like he was going to be just fine, so I promptly forgot about it all. But then on Wednesday, rumors started to fly that his claims about the accident might have been untrue.

The Philadelphia Police Department came out with a statement saying that their investigation and review of video from the area had concluded that no such incident occurred at the intersection in question, though some have pointed out that Oubre is new to the city and might have inaccurately reported where the accident had occurred.

And now TMZ has released a video that the outlet said supported his claim. All I know for sure is that this is one hell of a mess. And I’m glad it’s not my job to clean it up.

Reader Mail

Anytime I criticize Fox 29 reporter Steve Keeley for his over-the-top sensationalistic reports on Philly crime, the trolls come out en masse on Twitter, accusing me of all sorts of horrible things, including that I live on the Main Line. (To be clear, I live in Philly, as I have since the early ’90s.)

This time around, after I filed a report about Philly’s declining violent crime numbers and called out Keeley, it wasn’t just the trolls who appeared. It was also Keeley’s colleague, Fox 29 reporter Jennaphr Frederick.

Jennaphr Frederick of Fox 29, where she works with Steve Keeley (Getty Images)

On Twitter, she said my story was yet “another terrible article” about Keeley and that it amounted to nothing more than clickbait, a term whose definition she needs to read. Notably, Frederick didn’t actually refute anything I said in the article.

But not everybody thinks I’m a terrible person. Here’s a note I received from retired Philadelphia judge Renée Cardwell Hughes:

Today I am writing to thank you for yesterday’s article on crime in Philadelphia. I teach Sentencing and Punishment at Villanova Law School. The issue of perception versus reality is a huge aspect of what I hope to impart to my students. Facts matter. Facts don’t diminish the seriousness of the crime in our community but facts support rational responses and policies that truly advance public safety. We need more rational discussion.

Thank you for being a beacon of light and facts on this polarizing and critical issue.

OK, “beacon of light” may be a bit much. But I’ll take it.

Local Talent

Taylor Swift-Travis Kelce news you absolutely need to know: Reports indicate that the parents of Ms. Swift and the parents of Mr. Kelce (who are, of course, also the parents of the other Mr. Kelce, the one who plays for the Eagles) are set to meet for the first time ever at Monday night’s Eagles-Chiefs rematch. But will Swift herself be there? She has a concert in Rio the night before, but where there’s love (and a very fast private jet), there’s a way. As if the ratings weren’t already going to be high enough for the Eagles-Chiefs game. I await with breath bated.

Taylor Swift with Donna Kelce at a Chiefs game (Getty Images)

And in a silly show of solidarity with the Eagles, Q102 is booting all Taylor Swift songs from the radio this weekend, instead replacing them with songs from the so-called Eagles’ Christmas album. But don’t worry. Everything will go back to normal with Swift in heavy rotation once the Monday night game is over. Yay!

By the Numbers

9: Free Library locations that will add Saturday hours starting this weekend, with more soon to follow. A welcome return to “normal” after too many years.

15: Boxes of beef stolen from the back of a truck in South Philly. With the $73,000 in frozen crabs stolen from a truck in Northeast Philly last month, somebody could be planning one hell of a surf-and-turf Thanksgiving. Assuming they have a big freezer, of course.

$22 million: Amount Pennsylvania Supreme Court candidates and their allies spent on last Tuesday’s election. But I’m sure that won’t result in any outside influence on the bench, right?

And from the Not-Quite Sports Desk …

The Celtics came to town last night to face the Sixers, each with an 8-2 record this season. (It was an all-distaff ESPN broadcast crew.) It was a fast-moving contest, with the lead seesawing through most of the first quarter before Boston, down Jaylen Brown and Kristaps Porzingis, leaped ahead to end it 37-22. Yikes. We, of course, were still missing Kelly Oubre Jr. —  see above — and Nic Batum. Jrue Holiday led all scorers with 10; Tyrese Maxey had yet to score. In the second quarter, Maxey picked up his first-ever NBA technical foul.

Maxey gets T’d up for this. Draymond can do whatever whenever he wants and nothing…….The @NBA is a JOKE!! #BOSvsPHI pic.twitter.com/XHl1homk7Q

— Tim Dennis (@TDennisSportTog) November 16, 2023

He’s growing up before our eyes. He responded by cutting the Celts’ lead to five halfway through. The team took their first lead right at the two-minute mark and held it:

https://twitter.com/NBA/status/1724965448632905822

There was more back-and-forth in the third, but again, Boston stretched its lead to 83-75 at the close. Could Philly come back? They stormed it to a one-point difference with eight minutes left, and the crowd was feeling it. An incredible Maxey move with the team seven points down and two minutes to go …

https://twitter.com/NBA/status/1724982588274585648

But Al Horford, ex-Sixer and current nemesis, was cooking: Sixers down eight. The refs said Maxey had been fouled on a three that missed by a mile; Boston appealed, and the call was overturned. Ball back to Boston, and the Sixers took the loss, 117-107. Damn.

The Flyers also played.

And in College Hoops?

Nothing in college hoops last night, sorry. Nothing tonight, either. Sigh.

Any Other Sports News?

The U.S. men’s national team has a soccer match against Trinidad and Tobago tonight at 9 p.m. And brothers … brothers … there have never been such lovely brothers.

All Philly Today sports coverage is provided by Sandy Hingston.