Twin States Weather Blog

A Bid Farewell

* Well it is a sad day for me. This is my last day as weekend meteorologist at WTOK. It has been an incredible experience for me over the past months. I started in July with Hurricane Dennis and got a very fast introduction into severe weather/hurricane coverage. From there it was just one month and one week later that Katrina made her name a memorable one. That is a stretch of days I will never forget. From filling in for Josh on Friday when it became apparent we would feel her wrath, to staying up all night long Sunday night with Chris and Emily doing cut ins every half hour, to spending 16 hours of wall-to-wall coverage and fearing that lights may come crashing to my head. It was just another 3 weeks later and I was thrown into the mix with Hurricane Rita. Numerous tornado warnings, several reports of tornadoes, one near Marion and another in Starkville on the campus of Mississippi State. There's been other severe weather events, blazing heat, and even snow flakes! All in all, I've had the pleasure of forecasting unique weather for the fine people of East Mississippi and West Alabama.

* I need to say thank you to a lot of people. First is Tim Walker and John Johnson for giving me my first opportunity in television. Next, the groves of people I've had the pleasure of working with. Each and everyone has worked hard and it really has been a pleasure working with everyone. I also want to say thanks to the people in our viewing area who have emailed, called, or stopped me on the street and said hello. Everyone has been very supportive and welcoming. As a kid from Nebraska, I can say I've been greeted by the Southern Charm.

* Last but not least, I need to say thanks to Josh Johnson. Over the last couple of years, Josh has become one of my best friends. He was the first person to contact me about the opening and has helped me and taught me so much over the last year. It is a sincere honor to say I had the pleasure to work with him, especially during Katrina. Josh is an incredible guy and I will miss him greatly.

* Thank you for the opportunity to forecast your weather. I'm sure I missed a few here and there, but I always did my best. I'll miss everyone. Farewell!

Feel free to contact me at rjv16@msstate.edu

posted by Renny Vandewege @ 7:55 PM