Latest news with #GaryEngland
Boston Globe
6 days ago
- Climate
- Boston Globe
Gary England, star meteorologist in Tornado Alley, dies at 85
During live coverage that day, England talked to a storm chaser who at one point described an ominous development: A tornado funnel had quickly popped up near a much wider one. Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up 'You folks in the path of this storm have time to get below ground,' England said. 'You need to be below ground with this storm. This is a deadly tornado.' Advertisement Recalling the severity of his warning, he told NPR in 2009, 'I knew that one would get their attention because I'd never said it before and I've never said it since.' The regard that citizens felt for England was reflected in messages painted by survivors of those tornadoes on the wreckage of their houses. One read, 'God Bless Gary England,' and another said, 'Thanks Gary England for Getting Us Out Alive!!' England's coverage of the 1999 tornadoes earned him a National Headliner Award the next year. In 2009, he and his team received an Edward R. Murrow Award. Advertisement 'In the eyes of most Oklahomans, England is less a meteorologist than a benevolent weather god who routinely saves everyone's lives,' Sam Anderson wrote in The New York Times Magazine in a 2013 profile of England called 'The Weather God of Oklahoma City.' 'He has become a cult figure: a combination of Obi-Wan Kenobi, Foghorn Leghorn, Atticus Finch, Dan Rather, Zeus and Uncle Jesse from 'The Dukes of Hazzard.'' England's renown in Tornado Alley -- the central U.S. region frequently hit by twisters -- led to his serving as a technical adviser to 'Twister,' a 1996 film about storm chasers starring Helen Hunt and Bill Paxton. He appeared in the opening scene as a forecaster giving a tornado warning on TV. Gary Alan England was born Oct. 3, 1939, in Seiling, Oklahoma. His father, Lesley, and mother, Hazel (Stong) England, owned a grocery store. While growing up, England took photographs of storm clouds and was transfixed by the TV reports of Harry Volkman, a weatherperson in Oklahoma. 'I was staring, and I turned to Dad and said, 'Dad, I want to be one of those,' and I pointed to the TV,' England said in an oral history interview with Oklahoma State University in 2013. 'He said, 'Well, what is he?' and I said, 'I don't know, but I want to be one.'' After graduating from high school, England served in the U.S. Navy, joining the Navy Weather Service. He received a bachelor's degree in mathematics and meteorology from the University of Oklahoma in 1965, and then worked for a weather forecasting firm in New Orleans. Advertisement He was hired in 1971 as a forecaster at KTOK Radio in Oklahoma City; a year later, he joined KWTV. He had little else to work with except for hand-drawn maps and a heavy reliance on the National Weather Service. 'In the beginning, I would only warn Jane a tornado was coming because John's house blew away,' he told the Los Angeles Times in 2013. But he urged KWTV management to build his toolbox, first with weather radar in 1973. In 1981, England became probably the first weather forecaster to use Doppler radar, which detected precipitation as well as wind speed and direction, vastly improving tornado warning times. Having followed research about the military use of Doppler radar, he made a presentation to the station's president, John Griffin. 'He said, 'Gary, you have never misled me on what we need,'' England said in the oral history. 'So we helped in the development and installed the world's first commercial Doppler radar right here.' Soon after, he said, he was watching the Doppler radar of what appeared to be a tornado. He called the local sheriff, who went outside and told him that he saw a funnel cloud. 'Now I knew I had something, so I issued the warning,' England said. 'It really upset the weather service but, you know, I wasn't going to wait and call them: 'Guys, is it OK if we issue the warning?'' Robert Henson, a meteorologist and the author of 'Weather on the Air: A History of Broadcast Meteorology' (2010), said in an interview, 'Gary had a reputation for being more aggressive with warnings than the National Weather Service because he had Doppler before other local stations. A warning doesn't always mean a tornado is out there, but he established that he was laser-focused on the threat.' Advertisement In the early 1990s, England helped initiate 'First Warning,' an automated map in the corner of TV screens that gives weather warnings, and 'Storm Tracker,' which shows a storm's path and an estimate for when a severe storm would arrive in a location. When KWTV celebrated 40 years of on-air achievements with a full page newspaper ad in 1994, nearly half were attributable to England and his weather team. He retired in 2013, a few months after a tornado, on May 20, ripped through parts of Oklahoma City, in particular the suburb of Moore, and killed about two dozen people. Another struck the suburb of El Reno 11 days later. After the latter storm, he told his wife, Mary England, that he had tired of his job. 'I just didn't want to do it anymore,' he told the chamber of commerce in Norman, Oklahoma, in early 2014. 'All that death and destruction.' After leaving KWTV, England became the vice president of corporate relations and weather development at Griffin Communications (now Griffin Media), the station's parent company, and was the consultant meteorologist-in-residence at the University of Oklahoma, home of the National Weather Center. His wife, formerly Mary Carlisle, survives him, along with his daughter, Molly Lutosky; two grandchildren; and a brother, Phil. In his decades tracking tornadoes, England found that no two were alike. 'They kind of have a life cycle just like a human,' he said in the oral history. 'It's shorter, but they behave a little differently. They do different things. They turn right, they turn left, they don't turn, and all of them are a little bit different.' Advertisement He added, 'On camera, they may all look the same, but everything is a learning process in this business. It really is.' This article originally appeared in
Wall Street Journal
19-06-2025
- Climate
- Wall Street Journal
Gary England, Meteorologist Who Brought Doppler to Tornado Alley, Dies at 85
When a tornado threatened, Gary England would stop to talk to kids. England, a meteorologist, would look straight into the camera with a special message for children who were home alone while their parents were at work.
New York Times
18-06-2025
- Climate
- New York Times
Gary England, Star Meteorologist in Tornado Alley, Dies at 85
Gary England, whose childhood fascination with severe weather spawned a long career as a television meteorologist in tornado-plagued Oklahoma, where his storm warnings likely saved many lives, died on June 10 in Oklahoma City. He was 85. Bob Burke, a lawyer who wrote a biography of Mr. England, said that he died in a hospice center after a stroke last month. One of the biggest weather events of Mr. England's 41 years as the chief meteorologist at KWTV in Oklahoma City occurred on May 3, 1999, when a series of tornadoes ripped through Oklahoma and Kansas — including a catastrophic one that topped the Enhanced Fujita scale, which researchers use to rate tornadoes; it caused 46 deaths, more than 800 injuries and about $1.5 million in property damage. During live coverage that day, Mr. England talked to a storm chaser who at one point described an ominous development: A tornado funnel had quickly popped up near a much wider one. 'You folks in the path of this storm have time to get below ground,' Mr. England said. 'You need to be below ground with this storm. This is a deadly tornado.' Recalling the severity of his warning, he told NPR in 2009: 'I knew that one would get their attention because I'd never said it before and I've never said it since.' Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
Yahoo
12-06-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Legendary Oklahoma Meteorologist Gary England Dies at 85
Longtime KWTV chief meteorologist Gary England has died. He was 85. The Oklahoma City, Oklahoma CBS affiliate said England kept Oklahomans informed for 41 years. Upon his retirement in 2013, England was called the Oklahoma's Master Meteorologist by NPR, while The New York Times called him The Weather God of Oklahoma City. 'We are heartbroken to announce that our beloved Gary England passed this evening. Gary passed peacefully on the evening of June 10th, surrounded by his loved ones, including his wife of 63 years, Mary, and his loving daughter, Molly. Gary was proud to have protected Oklahoma from its deadliest storms. He will be deeply and forever missed,' his family said in a statement. He was known for pioneering the use of technology in forecasting. In 1981, he became the first person in history to implement Enterprise Electronics Doppler radar for direct warnings to the public. In 1990, England developed First Warning, an automated severe weather warning system that provided instant weather warning maps in the corner of the television screen. One year later, he created StormTracker, a system that projected the path of storms and the time of their arrival, a program that is now used nationwide. England authored 4 books and was the subject of another. He appeared in more than 50 national and international severe weather programs in addition to the Steven Spielberg movie "Twister." In 2006, England was a keynote speaker for the dedication of the new National Weather Center in Norman, OK. As part of the Oklahoma Centennial celebration in 2007, he was immortalized by the sculpting of his bust, which honored '100 Heroes and Outlaws' of Oklahoma repute during the state's first 100 years. England was inducted into the Oklahoma Hall of Fame in 2013. KWTV
Daily Mail
12-06-2025
- Climate
- Daily Mail
Trailblazing TV weatherman Gary England dead aged 85 as dozens pay tribute
A trailblazing television meteorologist who was once hailed as 'the weather God of Oklahoma City' has died at the age of 85. Gary England was the resident chief meteorologist at local CBS affiliate, KWTV, where he kept Oklahomans informed on the weather for 41 years before he retired in 2013. England's family confirmed he died on June 10 to his former home station, and the news was announced on air by KWTV co-anchor Amanda Taylor. His colleagues and longtime viewers have already begun paying tribute to the famous weatherman. KWTV Washington Bureau Chief Alex Cameron remembered England during Wednesday's telecast, telling viewers that his peer was a 'legend' in Oklahoma City. 'I really realized that he's a very down-to-earth guy. He likes to have fun. He likes to kid. But as anyone who watched him also knew, he was extremely serious when it came to severe weather. I mean, deadly serious,' Cameron said of his friend. Cameron praised England for his coverage of a tornado in May 1999 in Oklahoma that devastated the state. 'I will never forget his words. I think this is a direct quote, but he said several times that day, "If you don't get underground, you're going to die,'" Cameron said. 'After seeing that, I realized that what Gary had said was not hyperbolic at all. It was spot on. And there's no doubt in my mind, he saved a lot of lives that day,' he continued. Fellow meteorologist Shelby Hays shared photos with England on her Facebook account and wrote, 'Gary England wasn't just a legend in meteorology; he was my dear friend & mentor. 'He was the voice I grew up hearing through stormy Oklahoma nights, and the reason I chased a career in weather.' Aaron Brackett, another meteorologist in Oklahoma, shared screenshots of encouraging messages from England on social media, and remembered his friend, 'I know the impact he had on Oklahoma. 'Early in my time with KFOR I was storm chasing in Seiling, his hometown, and noticed a road was named in his honor, and it really struck me.' Current KMTV meteorologist David Payne also paid tribute, writing on Facebook, 'There will only ever be one Gary England - an Oklahoman through and through. 'He was one of a kind and the impact he had on our state, meteorology and severe weather prediction and tracking will be felt for years and years to come.' Others who grew up watching England on television paid tribute on X, with one tweet reading, 'The greatest meteorologist of our generation. RIP Gary England!' 'Gary England should go on the Mt. Rushmore of Oklahomans. There's a reason so many of us know about the weather and aren't afraid of it, and it's because most of us grew up with him on our TV's,' another wrote. England was a household name in Oklahoma, growing up in Seiling, a small town about two hours north of Oklahoma City. He joined the Navy after high school and met his wife, Mary Carlisle, in college after his service. England joined an Oklahoma radio station in 1971 before becoming KWTV's chief meteorologist in 1972. He became the first person in history to use the Doppler weather radar in 1981, which is now a widely used technology by meteorologists. England even made a cameo in the hit 1996 film, Twister, and wrote several books, including his autobiography, Weathering the Storm. The beloved weatherman is survived by his wife, Mary, daughter Molly, and granddaughters, Cassidy and Chloe His family said in a statement to KWTV, 'We are heartbroken to announce that our beloved Gary England passed this evening. 'Gary passed peacefully on the evening of June 10th, surrounded by his loved ones, including his wife of 63 years, Mary, and his loving daughter, Molly. 'Gary was proud to have protected Oklahoma from its deadliest storms. He will be deeply and forever missed.' England is survived by his wife, Mary, daughter Molly, and granddaughters, Cassidy and Chloe.
