You can read about the weather in a newspaper. You can read about the weather online, and maybe watch a video or live weather-cam.

But to see a TV reporter almost blowing horizontally like a flag in a hurricane’s wild winds, gripping a pole tight enough to leave impressions, the rain spanking his face raw — now that’s a visual treat.

The recent snowstorms in Western Washington left us sliding on roads and staying close to home. And when Mother Nature decides to empty her freezer, everyone wants to see who or what gets knocked out cold — as it’s happening.

On TV, the weather reporters trudge knee-deep in snow, narrating footage of cars spinning off the roads as they recommend you stay cozy in front of the boob tube or stare at your crackling fireplace instead of venturing outside.

In news industry jargon, “weather story” is fairly self-explanatory.

People love weather stories. It’s one thing we all have in common, and reporters face a universal challenge to make each weather story different than the last.

This is more than just news or conveying information. This is real-time entertainment — that’s what television does best, and that’s what we expect with each channel change.

Let’s not undermine the value of TV weather reports. These stations simply own the niche, even with the Internet on TV’s heels.

Remember that mom and dad went to bed after the weather report. Is it going to rain or snow? Better dress appropriately. Sunshine and clear skies?

Let’s play hooky from work.

Save the newspaper’s weather epilogue, if there is one, for your morning coffee. Perhaps after you’ve caught today’s temperatures online, with the TV talking in the background and a weather reporter clutching an ice cream cone microphone, shivering in a winter hat, snow turning his eyebrows bushy white.

To those TV weather reporters who cruise the sloppy roads in the heated comfort of an SUV, listen up: Viewers like listening to you, but they want to see you suffer. The more the better.

Now that’s breaking news.