Why are weather forecasters so incapable of saying "We got it wrong"?

Despite all the ominous prognostications, Hurricane Earl weakened more than expected by the time it drew even with North Carolina, missed the state's Outer Banks by nearly 100 miles and now appears likely to pass considerably east of Long Island and Cape Cod.

But the facts be damned. The Weather Channel and the various cable news outlets have committed tons of time, money and manpower to covering this storm, and they're gonna make it seem like the Armageddon is at hand even if it isn't.

When all is said and done, eastern North Carolina, eastern Long Island and Cape Cod will have gotten moderate amounts of rain, a bit of flooding, some gusty winds and perhaps scattered power outages — in other words, the same things most places in the country get every time a summer thunderstorm rolls through.

And no amount of hyperventilating by raincoat-clad TV reporters standing on beaches will change that reality.