I can’t remember the last time I was able to muster a level of passion and excitement over any particular thing or activity that would compare to the love that Nova Scotia native, Frankie MacDonald, feels for all things weather-related. Frankie is an Internet enigma and superstar, having dedicated his life to monitoring weather systems worldwide and then uploading amateur forecasts, updates, and warnings—based on his analysis of those weather systems—to a personal YouTube channel called dogsandwolves.
That sounds simple enough, right? Wrong. Frankie’s videos are like no weather report you’ve ever seen before. In most of them, he barks rapid-fire instructions on how to stay safe in a staccato cadence like a jovial Marine Corps drill sergeant charged with the giddy task of relaying apocalyptic warnings about impending cataclysmic meteorological events—regardless of whether or not the dreaded threats are actually threats that need to be dreaded (or something that’s even real).
For example, it’s not unusual to hear Frankie warning everyone to brace themselves for the onslaught of milder temperatures in Minnesota, or to hear him predict a date for (and issue a “warning” about) the occurrence of some specific surrealistic meteorological event like “severe tacos” in California.
Frankie’s motto is “be prepared,” and he takes it very seriously. Here was his advice concerning a snowstorm that was approaching the Baltimore area in 2014:
People in Baltimore, Maryland: Be Prepared—have your winter boots, winter jackets, hats, gloves, scarfs and ski pants ready and order your pizzas and Chinese food and buy cases of Pepsi and Coke and do your grocery shopping! Don’t wait until the last minute—Do it right now!
By way of contrast, here is Frankie’s recent dire warning on how to survive “severe tacos,” which are predicted to hit California and several Western states in October of 2015:
People in California: Be prepared! Have your lettuce, taco sauce, tomatoes, and hamburgers ready—and it will be a lot of tacos! Especially in California in the Southern California, including the Los Angeles area and the surrounding areas, and the severe tacos will hit Oregon, Washington State and Vancouver, British Columbia and the surrounding areas! Best of luck to ya, people in California—be prepared for a lot of tacos in October, 2015! Take care and stay safe and don’t get caught in a lot of tacos—Stay safe!
“IT MAY FLOOD THE STREETS WITH TACOS!”
Frankie’s forecasts tend to involve either actual changes in the weather or some type of food falling from the sky. Nevertheless, his YouTube channel has received over 10 million hits, and he was recently honored in the House of Commons with these words:
We, as Cape Bretoners, are very proud of Frankie the Weatherman and wish him all the best as he continues to keep us safe from Mother Nature.
Someone has even inked a tattoo of Frankie on his leg:
The bottom line is that Frankie the Weatherman just wants you to be prepared and stay safe. Any other utility that can be attributed to his fantastic weather updates may be a bonus, but if he has helped you to be prepared for inclement weather in any way, then his job is done. And as far as today’s forecast is concerned, there’s a 100% probability that Frankie MacDonald will be having more fun than you.
Meanwhile, beware West Coasters—The SEVERE TACOS are headed your way!