Meteorologist Hall of Fame welcomes two PSU alums

January 24, 2011

PUNXSUTAWNEY — With Punxsutawney Phil’s upcoming forecast looming in the future as the days to February dwindle away, the Punxsutawney Weather Discovery Center prepares to again induct two new members into its Meteorologist Hall of Fame.
Joining the ranks of the “Weather Capital of the World’s” elite, for their dedication to the advancement of knowledge in weather science, climatology and meteorology, are AccuWeather’s Elliot Abrams and The Weather Channel’s Dr. Greg Forbes.
A Groundhog Day induction ceremony will take place at 12:30 p.m. Feb. 2 in the center’s lobby.

ELLIOT ABRAMS
• A Philadelphia native, Abrams is AccuWeather’s chief forecaster and senior vice-president.
Known as the “World’s Weather Authority,” AccuWeather — established in the early 1960s, with headquarters situated in State College — produces local forecasts for every location in the United States, and an additional two million worldwide.
Dubbed “America’s Wittiest Weatherman” for his lively reports, Abrams — who was AccuWeather’s first full-time employee in 1967 — has additionally earned the titles of Certified Consulting Meteorologist and the American Meteorological Society’s Seals of Approval for radio and television.
He earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in meteorology at Penn State University.
Abrams, who provides regular analysis and forecasts on various radio stations, also dons hats as an inventor and author.

DR. GREG FORBES
• The Weather Channel’s severe weather expert, Forbes earned his bachelor degree in meteorology at Penn State University where, according to Forbes, Hurricane Agnes kept him from attending his commencement ceremony. Years later, he joined the university’s department of meteorology.
While attaining his master’s and doctorate degrees, studying tornadoes and severe thunderstorms, Forbes studied under renowned tornado researcher Dr. T. Theodore Fujita at the University of Chicago.
Reporting for The Weather Channel — the 24-hour, seven-day a week network devoted solely to weather coverage, established in 1982 — Forbes credits some of his most noteworthy experiences as 2005’s Hurricane Katrina and 2007’s E5F tornado, which destroyed the city of Greensburg, Kansas.
As a forecaster in Sweden, Forbes worked on a NASA project measuring the North Pole ozone hole. He additionally spent three summers at the Kennedy Space Center, conducting studies on improving lightning forecasting.
The Latrobe native, whose interest for meteorology developed in seventh grade, additionally co-authored and co-edited “Natural and Technological Disasters” and “Images in Weather Forecasting.”