Bill Walsh

Weather more than science for meteorologist

Melissa Haneline
The Post and Courier

WCSC chief meteorologist Bill Walsh has more than 24 years of experience forecasting the weather. You can catch him every weekday at 5, 6, 7 and 11 p.m.

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Walsh with his family — wife, Janet; son, Frank; and daughter, Amy — in the Rose Garden at the White House.

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Walsh also serves as a Reserve public affairs officer for the Charleston Air Force Base, a duty that takes him to places such as Southwest Asia (shown at an undisclosed air base).

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Walsh plays Dr. Monty Wells in an appearance on "The Young and the Restless."

Say the word "hurricane" to any Charlestonian and a serious look will cross his face. Bill Walsh smiles.

No, it's not because he owns a generator business or stock in Home Depot; it's because he's a meteorologist. And meteorologists live for storms.

"Sports has the Super Bowl, we have hurricanes," he says.

But don't let the boyish smile fool you. Walsh is quick to point out that while storms such as hurricanes Floyd and Hugo helped forge his career, he never roots for them.

He'll tell you that as chief meteorologist for WCSC-TV Channel 5, the real thrill comes from letting people know when and where a storm is going to hit so they can make the best decision to protect themselves.

"Viewers are relying on us, so we don't want to let them down," he says.

Future tracker

When Walsh was just 15, he began to develop a nose for weather — and trouble.

One day, while sneaking around outside one of the local television stations in his native Providence, R.I., he came across an open door and slipped inside. There, he made his way up some stairs and through a door, where he promptly bumped into the local weather guy. Instead of calling security on the trespassing teenager, the weather man showed him around the studio, explaining the ins and outs of the job. Walsh was hooked.

"Not only was I fascinated by the science of the weather, but the show business aspect as well," he says.

In his mind, it was the perfect marriage of two of his biggest passions. Right then and there he vowed to become a meteorologist. So six years later, he slipped back into that same studio. Only this time, as the station's weekend weather man, he used the front door.

After two successful years as a meteorologist in Rhode Island, Walsh headed south for a warmer climate and a cooler job. He set his sights on Charleston, and in 1986 landed a gig working for WCIV. Though it sounds storybook, things didn't come easy for Walsh. In fact, in the months before landing the Channel 4 job, he was passed over by several other stations because they said he looked too young.

"I fought that for quite a while," he says. "But in their defense, you don't want somebody who looks like they're in high school telling you a hurricane is coming."

In 1989, Walsh moved one click up the dial to Channel 5, working under local legend Charlie Hall. Just a few months after he was hired, the storm of all Lowcountry storms hit: Hurricane Hugo.

"I had only been here three years and people were just getting to know me, and all of a sudden, boom, this big storm came around. As horrible a storm as it was, it became a benchmark moment for me. It connected me with the Charleston community."

Nineteen years later, Walsh is one of the most recognizable faces in the Lowcountry.

Worldly weather

There's more to Walsh than seven-day forecasts, 6 o'clock news and three-piece suits. His other job in the community is serving as chief of public affairs for the 315th Airlift Wing at the Charleston Air Force Base. So one weekend a month and two weeks every year, he trades in his umbrella for a uniform — a job that takes him to places such as Afghanistan, Guam and Vietnam. In fact, there have been days when he's done the weather at Channel 5, changed into his flight suit in the bathroom, and was standing on a tarmac in Normandy, France, just a few hours later.

But even when he's overseas, the local celebrity occasionally gets recognized. In fact, one time in Thailand, a man came up to him and asked if he minded taking a picture.

"I said, 'Sure, I don't mind taking your picture,' and then he says, 'No, I mean I want a picture of you and me, Mr. Walsh.' "

Back to you, Bill

Surrounded by 19 monitors and 10 giant spotlights, Walsh prepares to deliver the weather on the 6 o'clock news, something he's done for nearly 22 years here in the Lowcountry. He's spent the past three hours preparing for this very moment: analyzing models, talking with other meteorologists and setting up graphics and animations.

It's going to be 92 tomorrow, with a 20 percent chance of an afternoon thundershower. But tune in again at 11 p.m., he says, because there's something troubling forming off the coast of Africa.

And it just might turn out to be a hurricane.

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BILL WALSH

OCCUPATION: Chief meteorologist, WCSC-TV.

BORN: 1962.

HOMETOWN: Providence, R.I.

FAMILY: Three sisters; wife, Janet; son, Frank; daughter, Amy.

EDUCATION: Emerson College in Boston; and Lyndon State College, B.S., double major in mass communications and meteorology.

PROFESSIONAL: American Meteorological Society certification and Seal of Approval; National Weather Association certification and Seal of Approval.

MEDIA IN THE BLOOD: His brother-in-law is a TV anchor in Detroit; his wife a morning co-host of the "Wolf Morning Wake Up" radio show on 96.9 FM.

PASSIONS: Big Brothers and Ronald McDonald House. He's on the board of the Ronald McDonald House and has helped raise two children since they were 6 years old. They're 23 now and he con-siders them part of the fami- ly.

FAVORITE THING TO DO: Go boating with the family.

BEST PRACTICAL JOKE HE EVER PLAYED ON BILL SHARPE: "I pretended to talk on the phone to an irate viewer who wanted to read Bill the riot act, so I proceeded to give the caller — no one was on the line — his cell phone number."

ROB FOWLER, MUSTACHE OR NO MUSTACHE?: "My hat's off to Rob for raising money for such a great cause (cancer research), so I've got to go with no 'stash."

MOST PEOPLE DON'T KNOW: "I'm a woman ... just kidding! Really, I'm a pistol expert and sharpshooter."

THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN "PARTY SUNNY" AND "PARTLY CLOUDY": "'Partly sunny' has more cloud cover and 'partly cloudy' has more sunshine. It sounds weird but it has to do with percentage of cloud cover."

ACCOLADES: Has won two Emmy Awards and one Telly Award.

Bryce Donovan is a features reporter for The Post and Courier. Reach him at 937-5938 or bdonovan@postandcourier.com.