4 min read
INTENSE WEATHER EVENTS happen a lot, from massive floods that devastate towns to storm fronts that bring tornadoes. Today meteorologist Al Roker has been reporting on it all for 30 years, and he says he’s still fascinated by his job.
The 71-year-old discussed his career in a panel discussion with Richard Dorment, editorial director of Men’s Health and Women’s Health called Weather Hunters: Forecasting the Future.
The panel was hosted at the Hearst Eco-Conscious Living Summit, a program of conversations meant to inspire action and reinforce Hearst’s long-standing commitment to sustainability.
During the talk, Roker opened up about his decades-long career in weather, his PBS Kids animated STEM series called Weather Hunters, and why he’s on a mission to help people understand how weather impacts life. Here’s what he shared.
He Wants People to Understand How Weather Impacts Everything
Roker pointed out that severe weather events are becoming more common and are now a bigger part of the news. “Growing up, learning about rapid intensification of a hurricane was something that you knew about, but that you didn’t really talk about, because it didn’t happen that often,” he said. “You knew about the polar vortex but you didn’t really talk about it, because the jet stream was strong enough to keep it up around the Arctic Circle. Well, things have changed.”
Now, major tropical storms and hurricanes are more likely to move inland and do severe damage compared to the past, Roker said. “The intensity of these storms and how quickly they ramp up has basically changed the game,” he said. “We all just live with extreme weather all the time now, particularly in my world.”
Roker noted that things like high heat have changed many areas of life. “It changes not only the environment and the health that people have to deal with [but] a hotter climate holds more moisture,” he said. “So, you’ve got not only the issues with heat, but now you’ve got the atmosphere that can hold more moisture, create stronger storms, produce more rain or snow, and so the two really are hand-in-hand. More heat, more rain, more danger.”
He Still Loves His Job
Roker celebrated his 30th anniversary with Today in January, and he said he’s “so grateful” he gets to do what he does for a living. “We’re all so fortunate to be able to do what we do,” he said. “I mean, my dad drove a New York City bus for a living—and I get to do this.”
“How do you not get up and be excited? I think at a certain point, if you’re not nervous and excited about what you do, then it’s probably time to move on,” Roker said.
He Gets Your Obsession With Weather
Roker has spoken at schools and said weather is always a hot topic. “Every teacher would tell me that from elementary and middle school kids, their favorite topic is weather,” he said. “There’s something about weather that even as children, even as we grow up, we say, ‘Hey, how about this weather?’ ‘Hey, what about that?’”
So, the dad of three decided to create Weather Hunters, an animated series that follows a “weather detective” and her family as they learn about weather. “Not only do we have to make sure we get the science right, but we also have to make sure that this is a safe space for kids to learn about weather,” Roker said. “We also teach them that you shouldn’t be scared as long as you’re prepared.”
He Wants Kids to Help Teach Adults About the Weather
Roker made his show for kids to help inform the next generation—and their parents. “You give a kid a fact, they will beat you to death with it,” he said, adding that he wanted to teach kids about weather “when they’re really young.” Roker said his hope is that kids can take what they learn and share it with adults.
“We’ve done focus groups, and what we find is that the adults who watch with their children say, ‘Oh, I didn’t know that,’” he said. “And then they start talking with their children about it, and so that’s the goal, you know, is to make sure that we’re not brushing this under the rug, we’re not hiding this. There’s a discussion that we have to have with our children, because they’re the ones who are inheriting this world we’ve created.”
The fifth annual Hearst Eco-Conscious Living Summit was presented by James Hardie, in partnership with 1 Hotels, Bloomeffects, California Design Den, Organic Valley, and Zip Water, and special thanks to Buena Vida Specialty Coffee, Misen, Pipette and SeaVoir Wellness.
Korin Miller is a freelance writer specializing in general wellness, sexual health and relationships, and lifestyle trends, with work appearing in Men’s Health, Women’s Health, Self, Glamour, and more. She has a master’s degree from American University, lives by the beach, and hopes to own a teacup pig and taco truck one day.
