What do you think of your local coverage of the tropics

[LaPlaceFF]

All I know that in the New Orleans area, when a storm is in the Gulf, everyone asks, "What does Nash say?" He accurately predicted that Georges was headed to the Miss Gulf coast. A question to everyone: If a storm was coming toward where you live, what TV/radio/etc meterologist would you at least listen to?

[vbhoutex]

Dr. Neal Frank, former director of the NHC who is a local OCM here in Houston. He always tells it like it is about the tropics.

[robag]

I listen to Bill Kamal (Channel 7) and Brian Norcross. I also take notice when I see Billy Wagner at the Hurricane Center. When he takes the drive to Miami from the Keys, then my attention zeroes in on the approaching storm. Wagner is a pioneer in hurricane preparedness.

[Dan]

For a TV station to be 200 miles inland, WBTV in Charlotte NC dedicates a minute or two each weathercast to the tropics, and they have the best team of MET's in the Carolina's. Hurricane Hugo back in 1989, taught a lesson to those in Charlotte that tropical systems can have an impact not only on the coast, but inland. That alone is one reason why WBTV dedicates as much time as they do to the tropics. Also, most people who evacuate the Carolina coast ends up in the Charlotte area anyway.

[Downdraft]

Here in Orlando it's all about hype. Rushing to the beach to watch kids build sandcastles and talking about a storm 300 miles offshore. It's really kind of sick to see them beat the public into a frenzy when it's clear to real mets the storm proves no threat to the area. Typical ratings garbage.

[jlauderdal]

I listen to Bill Kamal (Channel 7) and Brian Norcross. I also take notice when I see Billy Wagner at the Hurricane Center. When he takes the drive to Miami from the Keys, then my attention zeroes in on the approaching storm. Wagner is a pioneer in hurricane preparedness.

Jacki Johnson is south florida's premier authority on tropical systems. Seriousely, I listen to Kamal and Steadham...Don Noe is the worst and Norcross has lost the edge.

[BayouVenteux]

In south Louisiana, we're very fortunate to have the LSU/State Climatologist, Jay Grymes, as chief on-air meteorologist at one of our local TV stations. He is a terrific, extremely knowlegable and personable man, and replaced Mike Graham a year or two ago, as Graham retired after a long career tracking countless Gulf storms. Mike now has the title of "Chief Meteorolgist Emeritus" and makes occasional appearances. In the future I have the feeling that, similar to Nash Roberts in New Orleans, area viewers will know it's a very serious storm when Mike gets called into service. I remember watching him report as Lili strengthened to a Cat 4 south of the Louisiana coast the day before it made landfall, fortunately as a much weaker system. In the face of a potentially catastrophic event, Graham remained calm and informative, not sensationalizing, but certainly communicating the gravity of the situation. Grymes and Graham are definitely the ones that most people around here watch when it's serious weather...especially when all the competition offers is young pups still holding their recently-minted broadcast communications degrees, comedians and Weather Channel cast-offs.

[Rainband]

Our mets don't hype anything. They are usually very honest and to the point

[Yankeegirl]

I like to watch Channel 2, Frank BIllingsley... but I also think its all about the hype here too... I think its so funny when they are reporting standing in a flood up to their knees... and their hats are blowing off...Seems like when it does rain here they make a big deal outta it... It just makes me laugh... I guess they have nothing more interesting to report about...

[Steve]

Nash wasn't for me. As for his call on Georges, that's really overplayed. The day before he called for a more eastern landfall, he had it (within 6 hours) going in around Corpus Christi and just north of Tampa Bay. I never trusted anything he had to say. Some of the old timers liked him, but many did not (based on his call that Betsy would never be a threat to New Orleans before the 2nd loop-d-loop).

I stick with Bob Breck and Fox 8. Bob used to be too intense on the old pact that required all local stations give the official information as the Gospel, but over the last few years, he's begun giving his own analysis. His associate, Jeff Basquin did an excellent job last year with whatever storm went into the UT Coast when it was forecast to head in around Brownsville/South Padre. Carl Arredondo (former TWC Met) on Channel 4 is better than Nash and far superior to his predecessor, Dave Barns /gak

Steve

[crazy4disney]

Dr. Neil for me!

-gina-

[vbhoutex]

Yankee girl I have to agree with you on the reporting. I know some of the flooding around Houston is newsworthy, but a whole days worth when the storm is over?

[Lindaloo]

Mike Reader here on the MS Gulf Coast. He is the only one that made a great call on georges. If not for him many lives could have been lost due to the flooding here in Jackson County.

[GalvestonDuck]

Yeah, as much as it rains here, I'm surprised people aren't used to it by now. But everyone has to get out of their offices and stare at it as if it's snow or something.

I like Dr. Neil Frank also.

[Josephine96]

My personal favorites here are Channel 9 and our local Fox affiliate.. Normally neither 1 of them jumps on the "cold front bandwagon" too quick and they normally let us know the storm is indeed coming our way until it makes the turn like it usually does..

As much as I like our Channel 6 met.. he is formerly from Detroit so his hurricane experience may lack a little lol...

[bevgo]

I hate Bob Breck on ch 7 here in New Orleans. 2 years ago we had a tropical storm and then a hurricane headed our way within a 2 week period. The hurricane was just a cat 1 but if you live or work in the New Orleans area you know what hapopens with a good thunderstorm much less a tropical storm. bof continued to say we were not going to be affected by the storms that they were going to pass us by. Well I got really wet trying to smoke on the roof of the hospital I was working in at the time. Had to stay 36 hours straight both times and many of my staff got flooded. I don't believe Bob knows what is up most of the time and downplays potential.

[Guest]

It good here sometimes they hype it up too much but at least one knows whats goin on.