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TulaneLSU's Top 10 meteorologists of New Orleans

Posted on 8/29/20 at 11:15 am
Posted by TulaneLSU
Member since Aug 2003
Member since Dec 2007
13298 posts
Posted on 8/29/20 at 11:15 am
Dear Friends,

I think people in New Orleans are the most weather savvy people in the nation. In a way, we have to be. Our lives depend on it, living in a mostly subterranean city where hurricanes frequent and a giant river looms over us. In no other American city has weather played a more prominent role in shaping a city’s history than in New Orleans. Mississippi River floods, major hurricanes at least every generation, yellow fever epidemics, and rain flooding, all play a powerful part in politics, economics, the perception of the city to outsiders, and in the memories of residents. New Orleanians must adopt Steve Buschemi strabismic eyes, with one eye to the sky and the other to the ground watching for pavement cracks.

It is hard to believe that 15 years ago today, the levees were overtopped and breached. It was only a couple of hours ago, 15 years ago, that the 17th St. Canal I-wall gave way to the wall of waters, which would flood most of the city. In honor of this special day, when nearly 2000 New Orleanians lost their lives, I thought it appropriate to honor the men and women meteorologists who have helped guide the city through the storms. I would love reading your own Top 10, if you would share it.

TulaneLSU’s Top 10 meteorologists in New Orleans history:

10. Dan Milham, WDSU



As an early teen, I had the pleasure of playing a round of golf at Chateau with Mr. Milham, who was a cheerful sod and friends with our cousins, who at that time, lived in Chateau, but on the south side of Vintage, whereas Mr. Milham was on the north. Local meteorologists simply did not make the type of money at that time to live in Chateau south of Vintage in the 80s and 90s. Mr. Milham seems competent enough as a meteorologist. However, if he had any role in hiring any of the WDSU weather people, such as Margaret Orr, he loses a lot of my respect. Any time he was not on air, WDSU weather was a mockery. Since he left, it has been even worse. WDSU has always had the city’s worst weather team, at least during my lifetime, and that does not look to change any time soon.

9. Bruce Katz, WGNO/WVUE



His spot of distinction derives entirely from Bruce's Coats For Kids, an annual Christmas-Hanukkah charity he started to get cold kids coats. His upbeat yet no-nonsense style gained some fans during his days at WGNO, but he was going against the Breck juggernaut, and really had no chance. He was always overshadowed by the GOAT. Had he been born twenty years later, he might be New Orleans’ favorite meteorologist today. But bad timing doomed his professional career.

8. Ken Aucoin, WVUE



Ken was always the Mr. Rogers of New Orleans meteorology. His calm and friendly demeanor saturated each of his every word. He served as the grounded counterbalance to Bob Breck. Even as his hairline retreated, his resolve stood true in the heat of the storms. I believe it was he who coined the phrase, “Your weather authority,” and the majority of weather breaking news at night or on the weekends, came through Ken.

He left New Orleans to take an anchor job in South Carolina, where I believe he still is. I sure do miss him. He was a kind and gentle man and a fine meteorologist.

7. Dave Barnes, WWL



I feel somewhat uncomfortable calling him Dave, as he was known for two decades on air, but Mr. Barnes feels too staid and starched for David. David served our city as the former anchor of WWL weather from 1983 through 1997. At the time, it was the biggest position in NOLA meteorology, having followed the legendary Nash Roberts. Unfortunately, Dave’s competence as a meteorologist -- he rose the ranks first in the Air Force, where color blindness prevented him from being a pilot to eventually becoming the head of the NWS for southeastern Louisiana -- never overcame his lack of charisma. Although he inherited the #1 weather program, the ominous clouds of change billowed in WVUE, where a Tempus grew.

Born in Mexico in 1936, he grew up on the Carribean island of Aruba. I do not know how he made it to south Louisiana, except perhaps to follow his father, who worked for Standard Oil. After retiring from WWL, he served on St. Tammany’s levee board. He died in 2014.

Dave was always the consummate professional. He spoke sternly with his words and his arms, using those appendages as though he were showing you how to drive with your hands at the 10 and 2 position, while also hugging you with them. Though he never became a fixture for us, I respect how he was the Toyota Camry of New Orleans meteorologists for nearly two decades.

6. Chris Franklin, WVUE/WWL



Groomed to be the next Bob Breck at WVUE, for whatever reason, Chris made his way to rival WWL a few years ago. Although a Crusader, I always enjoyed his personality and style on air. Now svelte, he once took up more camera space than he should have, earning him the nickname“Chris Farley, meteorologist.” That was what Cousin called him, anyway. Some people, even my good friend, buttocks, prefer Dave Chalmette, to Chris. For me, it’s no contest. Franklin is stout and carries enough Breck in him to make him must see meteorology TV.

5. Nicondra Norwood, WVUE



Perhaps the most underrated meteorologist in New Orleans history, her quiet and warm style have always endeared her to me. A native of Gramercy, she returned to work with WVUE in 2007. She is a trailblazer, and I believe she has more than earned an anchor spot. Until Dave Arranda got a head coaching job, I called him the Nicondra Norwood of college football. Confident, quiet, and excellent at her job, Norwood is the best NOLA meteorologist on air at this time.


4. Michael Lowry, TWC



No meteorologist from New Orleans has risen the ranks as highly as The Weather Channel’s Michael Lowry. I believe he started his career after FSU at the National Hurricane Center before being drafted to the media bigs at TWC. He was for a few years TWC hurricane expert, and was being groomed to be the next John Hope. Word from a friend who works at TWC was that he stepped down in order to marry his fiance, who also worked at TWC. He may have never been on air for a New Orleans station, but his insight and stories about New Orleans always made his segment on TWC worth watching, which cannot be said often for TWC any longer.
This post was edited on 8/29/20 at 12:22 pm
Posted by TulaneLSU
Member since Aug 2003
Member since Dec 2007
13298 posts
Posted on 8/29/20 at 11:16 am to
3. Carl Arredondo, WWL



1991 started Carl’s illustrious career at WWL after leaving the nascent The Weather Channel. He was a perfect fit at conservative WWL. When Barnes retired, Carl was the obvious replacement for his anchor desk in 1997. Some complained that Carl was too dry, but this was in keeping with the WWL succession of Al Duckworth, Nash Roberts, and Dave Barnes. Carl warmed to the camera over the years. It was somewhat a tragedy when his failing vision forced him to step down. “The Bald Bull,” as I called him in more recent years, was a rock for this muddy city through the hurricanes.

2. Nash Roberts, WDSU/WVUE/WWL



For older New Orleanians, there is just one word that sums up meteorology: Nash. Nash Roberts was on the decline by the time I experienced his broadcasts. I remember in the early 90s, WWL would dust off him and his handmade charts for the occasional hurricane. Of note, I especially remember his reporting before Hurricane Andrew, which was not terribly accurate. I questioned his expertise and his monumental reputation to Grandfather. “Grandfather, why do you care what he says? He was off on Andrew.”

Grandfather sternly rebuked me, reminding me that it was Nash who nailed the Betsy prediction. Grandfather conveniently omitted that Nash swung and missed on Camille, though. His reputation was solidified to a new generation when he projected that Georges in 1998 would make a jog just north of official tracks, missing New Orleans, and hit Biloxi.

Roberts was the father of meteorology in New Orleans, becoming the first on-air weather man at WDSU in 1951. One might say that WDSU has forever suffered from the “Curse of the Nash” ever since he left in 1973. WDSU has been at the bottom of New Orleans’ weather departments ever since, just like the Red Sox’s ignoble streak of failure commenced after trading Ruth. Nash jumped ship to WVUE for a short four year stint before being hired at WWL in 1977.

The native New Orleanian, and long-time Metairie resident, was onboard the first hurricane hunter to enter a hurricane. He was an institution, and when he died in 2010, the city mourned. Perhaps no other weatherman in American history achieved so high a level of both fame and respect as Nash Roberts.


1. Bob Breck, WVUE



As Grandfather told it, the landscape of late 1970s New Orleans weather was rocky and filled with tension and strife. WWL was proper and all business, the standard in local news. With Nash Roberts at the helm, WWL was the establishment, the Coca Cola and McDonald’s of NOLA. WVUE, on the other hand, was the Pepsi, XFL, and Burger King, the upstart, the newcomer. WVUE’s manager knew the station had to be a little different to get viewers.

In 1978, WVUE pulled a major coup in hiring from Dayton’s WDTN a diminutive man, crowned with a jet black toupee, who looked as much at home in a North Pole toy factory as on air. His name was Robert Zabrecky, but you know him as Bob Breck. Breck’s career as a weatherman went all the way back to 8th grade when he did weekly weather forecasts for his class at St. John the Baptist School in Whiting, Indiana. After getting a degree at U Michigan, he took his first official job at WTVT in Tampa in 1971 before returning to the Midwest. It took some legal wrangling to get him to New Orleans, though, as WDTN knew the talent their young weather guy had, but Breck successfully fought his contract to land at WVUE.

That was when the real fighting began. Many New Orleanians found no tolerance for Breck. He was quirky, waggish, and irreverent. Some even called him ribald and crass, a “clown of gizmos, a frenzied chipmunk” even (that was Grandfather’s term for him). The old guard wanted the weather plainly with a monotone presenter whose passions were always in check. Breck was an entertainer, a man of emotion and, some would say, of the people. He was a peacock, and he had to be, to get the attention of New Orleans, who loved its native son, Nash.

The greatest rivalry in 1980s New Orleans wasn’t Trinity vs. Christ Church, Montana vs. The Dome Patrol, or Perlis vs. M. Goldberg’s. It was Breck vs. Nash (WDSU’s John Hambleton wasn’t even on the radar). Today, people use Republican or Democrat as the label by which so much is assumed. 35 years ago, your Team Breck or Team Nash label was just as powerful. Never underestimate the frivolity over which people will fight and go to war.

Grandfather was a Nash stalwart. Mother and father were initially Nash viewers, but, like most in 1980s New Orleans, even they warmed to the miniature Midwesterner. This rift caused quite a few unpleasant fights in the house in the late 80s and early 90s. After briefly disowning father over Bob Breck, Grandfather eventually softened his view, even if he remained a WWL and Dave Barnes viewer.

Breck peaked in the 1990s. Once Nash retired, many of Nash’s followers were unimpressed with Barnes, and migrated to Breckland. His blend of charisma, entertainment, and Wolverine erudition enamored him to the city. It was Breck who produced in the early 90s annual hour long specials in the format of 20/20 or Dateline, just before hurricane season. These jeremiads warned residents of the real threat of the city being swamped by a 20 foot flood, should a major hurricane hit.

I first met Bob Breck in the late 1990s at the Grand Isle Tarpon Rodeo, where he was a guest of honor, and I believe, a celebrity judge for something. Uncle had his Viking at Pirate’s Cove and the vessel next to ours hosted a party, and Mr. Breck attended. We were grilling steaks and Mr. Breck, always the effervescent introvert-turned-extrovert, came over to compliment the aroma. I was in awe, because here was my favorite celebrity in the flesh.

At the time, I always had on my person a Bob Breck Hurricane Survival Guide and Tracking Map. It was shortly before I began carrying my 1928 Book of Common Prayer. Though I wasn’t fourteen yet, I was a good bit taller, but he still looked like a giant to me. Sheepishly, I said, “Mr. Breck, it is one of the greatest honors of my life to meet you.” He laughed and shook my hand -- these were pre-covid days. I then asked, “Mr. Breck, would you please sign a copy of your Hurricane Tracking Guide?” His face became aglow with true joy. I still keep that signature in my memory box. That he called me, “Friend” is one of the highest honors of my life, and quite inspiring. When I ran into him at Elmwood Fitness Center, nearly a decade later, he remembered me!



Tragedy struck Mr. Breck in 2002, with the untimely death of his middle school sweetheart. I do not think he ever truly recovered. Although he remarried, I feel like his innocence was lost, and all the boyishness of the 90s was gone. He still made jokes and bantered with the cast, but it never seemed sincere and joyous. His intellect, love of VIPR, and skills as a meteorologist, however, remain unimpeachable. He was and is my favorite meteorologist, and the greatest in New Orleans history.

Faith, Hope, and Love,
TulaneLSU
This post was edited on 8/29/20 at 9:15 pm
Posted by Rouge
Floston Paradise
Member since Oct 2004
136791 posts
Posted on 8/29/20 at 11:16 am to
D
Posted by TheOcean
#honeyfriedchicken
Member since Aug 2004
42444 posts
Posted on 8/29/20 at 11:19 am to
Who was mother's favorite
Posted by rsbd
banks of the Mississippi
Member since Jan 2007
22157 posts
Posted on 8/29/20 at 11:20 am to
Bod breck #1 not legit
Posted by tgrbaitn08
Member since Dec 2007
146214 posts
Posted on 8/29/20 at 11:25 am to
your list sucks...



Posted by Dire Wolf
bawcomville
Member since Sep 2008
36568 posts
Posted on 8/29/20 at 11:28 am to
Posted by TulaneLSU
Member since Aug 2003
Member since Dec 2007
13298 posts
Posted on 8/29/20 at 11:30 am to
Friend,

Neither of your top two makes my list. I knew the first and even attended her Presbyterian church as a visitor (I believe she originally was Episcopalian). She was very cold to me. Dawn Brown seemed like a nice person, but her forecasts were not very good. Feel free to do a top 10 of your own.

Yours,
TulaneLSU
Posted by LSUneaux
NOLA
Member since Mar 2014
4485 posts
Posted on 8/29/20 at 11:30 am to
How did Nash not make #1?
Posted by dbeck
Member since Nov 2014
29448 posts
Posted on 8/29/20 at 11:32 am to
Posted by Notro
Alison Brie's Boobs
Member since Sep 2011
7879 posts
Posted on 8/29/20 at 11:33 am to
No Laura Buchtel???


Posted by Cdawg
TigerFred's Living Room
Member since Sep 2003
59432 posts
Posted on 8/29/20 at 11:34 am to
Phew, as I scrolled, I was afraid Bob Breck wasn't making your list. But you have him at the right slot.
Posted by blafayette
Lafayette
Member since Jan 2014
593 posts
Posted on 8/29/20 at 11:35 am to
Much disappoint that there are no hot women in this list.


I got your back....




Posted by tgrbaitn08
Member since Dec 2007
146214 posts
Posted on 8/29/20 at 11:36 am to
quote:

Dawn Brown seemed like a nice person, but her forecasts were not very good.


but her tits were awesome


how you you not love Laura and her dance moves?



LINK

This post was edited on 8/29/20 at 11:37 am
Posted by Giantkiller
the internet.
Member since Sep 2007
20235 posts
Posted on 8/29/20 at 11:38 am to
quote:

TulaneLSU


You are such a try hard. Every time I see one of your posts, I want to click it just to get mad at you.
Posted by Legion of Doom
Old Metry
Member since Jan 2018
4974 posts
Posted on 8/29/20 at 11:41 am to
Gotta go with 08 on this one. First Nash will always be #1. Then to leave off Dawn Brown and the D cups is a travesty.
Posted by OleWar
Troy H. Middleton Library
Member since Mar 2008
5828 posts
Posted on 8/29/20 at 11:45 am to
Where is Shelby?




She also makes cakes with weather themes



Posted by Notro
Alison Brie's Boobs
Member since Sep 2011
7879 posts
Posted on 8/29/20 at 11:46 am to
quote:

but her tits were awesome



Posted by LSUneaux
NOLA
Member since Mar 2014
4485 posts
Posted on 8/29/20 at 11:48 am to
Spinoff Post - Unranked Top 2 meteorologists in sunny South Florida

Brian Norcross and Lisette Gonzalez












This post was edited on 8/29/20 at 11:53 am
Posted by Legion of Doom
Old Metry
Member since Jan 2018
4974 posts
Posted on 8/29/20 at 11:48 am to
Also Alexandra Cranford was settling my nerves during the hurricane Laura coverage.
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