Tag Archives: Weather

Hurricane Charley anniversary telethon Thursday

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Credit: Orlando Weekly

Courtesy Orlando Weekly

WKMG broadcast fascinating recollections of Hurricane Charley — and the other storms of 2004 — on Wednesday night. Reporter Donald Forbes had a particulary moving tale of riding out the storm in Port Charlotte crouched next to a wall, finally reaching the safety of the station’s satellite truck only after the storm’s eye arrived with an eerie orange glow.

A reminder that on Thursday — the fifth anniversary of Charley — WKMG-Local 6, WOFL-Fox 35 and Central Florida News 13 are teaming up for a daylong telethon to benefit the Red Cross. The stations will be providing coverage of the telethon, which runs from 5 a.m. to 7 p.m. To donate, you can call 1-888-288-9279.

Finally, I couldn’t let the Charley anniversary pass without another look at one of my favorite Orlando Weekly cartoons from 2004. Tom Terry and Tom Sorrells became the most popular people in Central Florida for their endless hours of on-air work during Charley, Frances and Jeanne — but, no offense guys, we don’t ever want to see that much of you two again!

Hurricane Charley: Orlando stations remember anniversary with special, Red Cross telethon

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hurricanecharleyThursday will mark the fifth anniversary of Hurricane Charley’s surprising and destructive visit to Orlando.

Orlando’s TV stations performed a great public service on Aug. 13, 2004 — dismissing the official National Hurricane Center track for the storm and correctly predicting the hurricane was headed to Orlando, not to Tampa. The stations gave residents extra time to prepare for the storm — but no one could have known it would be a hurricane drill that would have to be repeated two more times during our relentless summer of storms.

Area stations are marking the anniversary in different ways. WKMG-Local 6 — which lost power during Hurricane Charley and remained on the air only by using a generator from one of its live trucks — will air a one-hour special Wednesday that recalls not only Charley but the other storms of 2004. “Charley, Frances & Jeanne: Five Years Later” will air at 8 p.m. Wednesday.

WKMG is joining WOFL-Fox 35 and Central Florida News 13 in hosting a daylong telethon, beginning at 5 a.m. Thursday. Money collected will go to the American Red Cross — which provided relief to Central Floridians during Charley, Frances and Jeanne. Read more about the telethon here.

After the jump, photos and video of Hurricane Charley’s Orlando visit

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WOFL promises new $1.5M radar will be most powerful in state

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guardianWOFL-Fox 35 is upping the ante in the area’s Doppler competition, announcing plans to build a $1.5 million Dual Polarization radar it says will be more powerful than all the other radars in the market combined.

The announcement of the new radar system — dubbed “Guardian” — was made during WOFL’s Fox at 5 newscast Wednesday evening. Ground breaking has already taken place for the new Fox 35 radar facility in Christmas, and the system should be operational in about 45 days, Chief Meteorologist Glenn Richards said.

What’s different about this Doppler? Find out after the jump

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WKMG’s Tom Sorrells and ‘the most important story I’ve ever done’

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lightningstrikesWKMG is living up to its “Local” 6 moniker Wednesday night, taking an hour of prime time to focus on something that impacts Central Floridians nearly every day: Lightning.

“Lightning Strikes,” which airs at 8 p.m., is a program that looks how we cope with living in one of the world’s lightning hot spots.

“We do stories about victims, survivors, myth vs. truths, explain how lightning starts, how best to avoid it and how to protect your home and your family,” WKMG chief meteorologist Tom Sorrells explained via e-mail. “The first story out of the gate is a tragic piece out of Titusville. I covered the story, and I’ve seen the finished product. I feel it may be the most important story I’ve ever done.”

More from Sorrells after the jump … 

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These Fox 35 reporters aren’t singing in the rain

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If you live in Central Florida, chances are you’ve been caught in an unexpected thunderstorm. You know what it’s like — the weather is fine one minute, and the next it’s time to start building an ark.

That’s situation a couple of reporters for Central Florida’s self-proclaimed “Weather Authority” experienced on Monday night. Just before their live shots on Fox 35′s 10 p.m. news, the sky opened.

WOFL reporter Tracy Jacim was fortunate enough to grab an umbrella just before she went on air, fumbling with it in the downpour while giving an intro to her report about Chinese drywall in area homes. She wrapped up with her umbrella shielding her from the rain.

Less than a minute later, reporter Keith Landry wasn’t as lucky. As he was waiting for his cue in another location, he got drenched — and I mean drenched. You can even see lightning in the background above him as he did his intro. When he came back for his wrap, he had on a rain coat but it was too little, too late. “Reporting live in Orange County, getting absolutely soaked, Keith Landry, Fox 35 News at 10,” he laughed as he wrapped up. Hey, what can you do in a situation like that?

Typical for Central Florida, the Doppler was virtually clear except for this one rogue shower that managed to pinpoint these two reporters. And to think we’re not even in the thick of hurricane season yet.

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WFTV disputes WESH has most accurate weather forecast

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Who has the most accurate weather forecast in Orlando? WESH says it does and that it has the certification to prove it. Top-rated WFTV says that’s baloney.

WESH recently dropped its WeatherPlus branding for its newscasts and started using WeatheRate’s seal for Orlando’s most accurate weather forecast. But what, you may ask, is WeatheRate? According to a news release on its Web site, “Using a business model similar to J.D. Power and Associates, WeatheRate conducts independent research at their own expense. At the end of each WeatheRating period, the company offers its seal of approval only to the most accurate station in each television market.”

It does this for a fee, of course. In a March 2005 posting on NewsBlues.com, Cincinnatti’s WCPO-ABC 9 was reportedly paying $1,000 a month to carry WeatheRate’s seal on its forecasts.

WeatheRate says its accuracy rating is based on verifying “high and low temperatures, sky cover, precipitation, snow accumulation, wind and fog. Accuracy in forecasting severe weather and timing of precipitation also comes into play.”

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