Skip to content
Roger Simmons Roger Simmons

Birds, Words, Pics + TV

  • Home
  • All Posts
    • Orlando Wetlands
    • Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge
    • Lake Apopka Wildlife Drive
    • Joe Overstreet Road
    • UCF Arboretum
    • Fort DeSoto Park
  • My Bird Catalog
    • All Birds Catalog
    • American Flamingos
    • Bald Eagles
    • Barred Owls
    • Belted Kingfishers
    • Black-and-White Warblers
    • Eastern Bluebirds
    • Florida Scrub-Jays
    • Green Herons
    • Little Blue Herons
    • Northern Parulas
    • Ospreys
    • Reddish Egrets
    • Red-Shouldered Hawks
    • Roseate Spoonbills
    • Sandhill Cranes
    • Whooping Crane
  • Orlando TV News/History
    • Orlando TV Schedules
    • Florida TV History
  • About this Site
Roger Simmons
Roger Simmons

Birds, Words, Pics + TV

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

Roger Simmons, July 28, 2009

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 … 

Sorrells points out that while hurricanes and tornadoes grab all the headlines, the No. 1 weather killer in Central Florida is lightning.

“The problem is we deal with lightning every day, and it usually only takes one victim at a time. For that reason it doesn’t always get the respect it deserves,” he said. “We have all seen kids, families, workers, etc. out in a storm when they should be taking cover. It’s my pet peeve.

“I’ve been wanting to do this special for years, and now it’s happening.”

Lightning Strikes was originally scheduled to air last Wednesday, but it got bumped by President Obama’s news conference. Click here to see a preview of the weather special.

Share on Social Media
x facebook reddit email
Orlando TV WKMG-6 WKMG-6

Post navigation

Previous post
Next post

Related Posts

When Louisiana live shots go bad

April 11, 2007

What does this have to do with Orlando TV News? Nothing, but it’s just too dang funny not to pass on. Check out the reporters from Louisiana’s KATC and KLFY jockeying for position at a post-election rally. And watch all the way until the end to see the reaction from…

Read More

New Fox 35 stars: Momma Hawk, chicks

May 2, 2007

A week ago I told you about a mother hawk that had taken up residence above Fox 35’s studios — causing the station to stop its outdoor weather segments because the hawk didn’t like having folks near its nest. I suggested Fox install a live Web cam so we could…

Read More

WKMG Local 6 News goes 16:9

March 20, 2008

UPDATED: With little fanfare, WKMG has thrown the switch on 16:9 for its newscasts. (Oops — I reported early that Local 6 had gone to HD. Not the case, however.)  Local 6 is using 16:9 studio cameras, but its weather graphics and most field reports are still in standard 4:3…

Read More

Latest Posts

  • Marsh Rabbits, Hummingbirds: Orlando Wetlands’ odd couple
  • Spending July 4 with birds at Merritt Island
  • Spending a magical morning at Orlando Wetlands
  • Finding some very colorful characters at Lake Apopka
  • Story of Merritt Island flamingos still being written

Top Locations

Orlando Wetlands

Posts about visits to Orlando Wetlands


UCF Arboretum

Posts about visits to UCF Arboretum


Merritt Island

Posts about visits to Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge


Lake Apopka

Posts about visits to Lake Apopka Wildlife Drive


Fort DeSoto

Posts about visits to Fort DeSoto Park


Galleries

Roger's Favorites

An ever-changing collection of my favorite pictures


American Flamingos

Photos of American Flamingos in Indian River


Belted Kingfishers

Photos of Belted Kingfishers across Central Florida.


Oystercatchers

Pictures of American Oystercatchers at Fort DeSoto Park


Spoonbills

Pictures of Roseate Spoonbills in Central Florida


Whooping Crane

Pictures of one of the last Whooping Cranes in Florida


MORE GALLERIES


Topics

American Flamingo American Kestrel Anhinga Bald Eagles Barn Swallow Barred Owl Belted Kingfisher Black-and-White Warbler Black-Crowned Night-Heron Blue-gray Gnatcatcher Caspian Tern Common Gallinule Common Yellowthroat Digital TV Eastern Bluebird Great Blue Heron Great Egret Green Heron Limpkin Little Blue Heron Northern Cardinal Northern Parula Orlando Wetlands Park Osprey Palm Warbler Prairie Warbler Red-bellied Woodpecker Red-shouldered Hawk Red-Winged Blackbird Reddish Egret Roseate Spoonbills Sandhill Crane Savannah Sparrow Snowy Egret Tricolored Heron Tufted Titmouse WESH-2 WFTV-9 White Ibis WKCF-18 WKMG-6 WMFE-24 WOFL-35 Wood Stork WRDQ-27

©2025 Roger Simmons | All Rights Reserved