When you're a newspaper publisher in an area like ours, you become a closet weatherman. Not that you're capable of making forecasts. But you sure do pay attention to maps, radar, isobars and cold fronts.

In the winter, of course, it's worrying about impending snow storms. Will the roads be clear for employees to come to work and for our trucks to deliver the papers? Will people venture out of their homes to buy the paper? Will blowing snow take down powerlines, leaving us -- and our computers and press and everything else upon which we rely on electricity to do our jobs -- in the dark?

In a way, the hot weather months are even more worrisome. No snow, of course. But severe thunder and lightning storms seem to pop up once or twice a week, leaving the area vulnerable to power outages and all they imply.

Late yesterday such a storm blew through Kingston. One bolt of lightning knocked us out of business for a split second. Fortunately, the power returned quickly, although not before frying the air conditioning unit in the pressroom.

Other areas fared worse. My colleague Rex Smith, editor of the Albany Times Union, told me this morning that his plant was dark for so long, the size of their paper was cut, some of the advertising inserts were postponed and arrangements were being made for emergency printing at the Schenectady Gazette. The latter wound up being unnecessary when the lights finally came back at the T-U's Wolf Road headquarters.

So here we are, late on a Thursday afternoon, and the another round of severe weather could be in the cards. Excuse me while I check the Weather Channel.