State a low, middle, and high estimate with clear assumptions. A 10–50–90 range communicates humility while still guiding action, letting you update fluidly as evidence appears. Decisions improve because conversation centers on movement, not false precision pretending certainty.
Before trusting a vivid story, look up how often similar events happen overall. Public data, weather archives, and community forums provide grounding numbers that temper emotion. Blending outside statistics with local cues yields practical judgments that travel beyond one anecdote.