It is with great sadness that I announce this. John Coleman was a true hero of mine, and a great friend. He made gigantic contributions to television, to weather forecasting, and even to the National Weather Service who changed and upgraded many of their methods to accommodate the visionary ideas he had in founding the Weather Channel.
In 1983, Coleman won the American Meteorological Society award for Outstanding Service by a Broadcast Meteorologist. The organization credited Coleman for “his pioneering efforts in establishing a national cable weather channel,” according to the AMS website.
I last saw John Coleman a couple of months ago in Chicago at a gathering of TV meteorologists and climate skeptics. He was as jovial and as witty as ever.
To say “he will be missed”, is an understatement.
From NBC, San Diego,
John Coleman, the jovial and energetic meteorologist who delighted San Diego television viewers for two decades and angered scientists for insisting that climate change is a hoax, died Saturday. He was 83.
Coleman died at his home in Las Vegas, while surrounded by family, according to KUSI-TV, where he served as a forecaster from 1994 to 2014, when he retired.
His retirement capped a 60-year career during which Coleman co-founded the Weather Channel, which began as a little seen offering in the early days of cable television to a popular source of coverage of everything from blizzards and hurricanes to California’s wind-driven wildfires.
Alex Tardy, a forecaster at the National Weather Service, said Sunday,
“‘This is a big loss for the weather community. He brought a lot of energy and color and enthusiasm to forecasting. My kids loved watching him on TV.”
Tardy also said Coleman never tried to push his skepticism about climate change being man made.
“We had good talks,” Tardy said. “I enjoyed it.’
My condolences to his family, and to his extended professional family, and to his friends who worked along with him, especially his co-founding partner, Joe D’Aleo.
ADDED:
In his second to last comment on WUWT, back in September 2017, John said this in response to this story: Guardian: Climate Denial is the Fault of Old White People
I am old
I am white
I am a denier
Guess they are correct. I will die. So will the others. Then things will be settled.
Got it.
This was my all-time favorite comment from him, in response to WUWT’s 10 year milestone:
10 years. What is the big deal. I worked two of my several jobs for 20 plus years and no one even noted the tenth anniversary. Anthony, you have a great website, you are a great friend and a hero of mine. Now, cancel the celebration and get back to work. The next eight years (the Trump administration) will be super big for you and your website. Hundreds of thousands of people are going to become interested the skeptical view of global warming/ climate change. I have already noted an uptick for my essay. Your site is about to explode with new readers. Do your best work starting now and don’t stop until the victory is yours.
Thanks John, for everything.
UPDATE: I spoke with his wife Linda, who called me this morning with the news just after I had posted this. She said his death was “sudden and unexpected”, but was likely related to his COPD illness he had been battling. I also spoke to Joe D’Aleo, who was his TWC co-founder. My heart goes out to both of them.
Joe and John had been working on a book about the founding of the Weather Channel, the trials, and tribulations of it, and the successes of those early years. Joe said he will be finishing the book, and adding a final chapter.
No arrangements have been made yet. I’ll add an update when I know.
– Anthony
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Very sad to read. What a fine individual. How well he would explain the history of the climate change movement or simply hold his own in situations like this:
There is little doubt he will rest in peace for his outstanding service to the truth.
Matthew 5;10 would be apt.
‘Blessed are they that suffer persecution for justice’ sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.’
I’m sure he’s fixing up the weather systems of heaven now 🙂
Or maybe giving them some pointers.
RIP
Lo, there do I see my Father..
Lo, there do I see my Mother
And my Sisters and my Brothers..
Lo, there do I see the line
Of my people back to the beginning..
Thay do bid me to take my place among them..
In the Halls of Valhalla,
Where the Brave may live forever.
http://img14.deviantart.net/1315/i/2012/315/5/d/thor___god_of_thunder__by_avalonfilth-d5kng9r.jpg
My favorite memory of John Coleman was during Australian Chris Turney’s Ship of Fools adventure risking lives of tourists including young children on a ridiculous junket to assess global warming in Antarctica. The ship charted was not of a class suitable for polar waters and the Captain had urged him to hurry his wandering snowmobiling adventurers onto the ship because of weather developments. The captain was ignored the ship got stuck fast and rescue icebreakers got iced in trying to help.
The ship Captain was unhappy with the weather forecasts from Antarctica research stations and called John Coleman for help who relayed up to the minute forecasts from Joe D’Aleo through Anthony Watts forecastin a wind change that gave the best chance for getting the ship out in two days. The forecast and direction for guiding the ship out were right on!!
Did anyone thank you guys Anthony?
A single act of immense courage, enlightenment or fortitude can earn a person the title of greatness, but John Coleman’s life was a series of such acts decade after decade. He was a great man!
As I take the time to remember and appreciate John Coleman, I am haunted by questions in the back of my mind:
How will we fill those shoes? How many of us will need to step up in the fight for the truth of climate change science?
With sincere condolences to John Coleman’s family and friends!
Have wonderful weather during your journey into your next adventure. May everything you study, stay as interesting as Earth’s weather!
Thank you for all you’ve done for weather science, forecasting and educating us people!
May exciting events, e.g. such as Antarctica’s ‘ship of fools’ reckless clubbing on peanut butter banana drinks while blundering around disused penguin nests while sea ice captured their ship,l as Gary Pearse reminds us; keep you busy and amused forever.
Sad news, but I’ll celebrate a full life lived well.
Even if he did offer condolences when I told him I lived in New Hampshire. (By then, he wasn’t very fond of cold weather.)
A true hero has left us.
Forever missed by his loved ones, but never forgotten by the many more who will remember him.
Respect
RIP, John.
My sincerest condolences. His legacy will live on, in great part thanks to Anthony.
I just sent this email to my friend Joe d’Aleo.
“Sorry for your loss Joe – I never met your friend John Coleman, but I liked him a lot.”
I extend the same message to you Anthony, and to all John’s other friends and family.
John Coleman lived a great life – strong, courageous, and true.
Best wishes to all, Allan
John was a great communicator who had an infectiously positive personality. Every time we lose someone like this they are irreplaceable. His family should be proud of how many lives he touched that never met him.
I am glad that he got to see the skeptic revolution reach its peak with the current presidency and leave on a high note. He will be missed but never forgotten.
RIP Mr Coleman. Your contributions will be missed.
There will never be another “John Coleman”.
Only spoke to him 1 time on the phone in 1981. TWC was almost my first TV job in 1982, then almost my 2nd one in 1985.
The prospect of working with dozens of meteorologists was quite an enticement.
Thanks Anthony for the tribute.
Such sad news….he will be greatly missed…he was an inspiration to all of us to never quit…what an amazing spirit. RIP John…
Very sad news. John was highly entertaining when presenting or writing and his passion for accuracy and truth shone like a beacon from a lighthouse through the climate fog. Condolences to all concerned.
It was listening to this intelligent articulate man that made me first question whether the prevailing view on global warming was true or had any scientific basis. I’m sure he influenced many people. I will miss his articles on his climate blog. A sad loss.
A great man and a terrible loss for the world. Rest in peace.
Eternal rest grant unto him, oh Lord. May your eternal light shine upon him. May all the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, test in peace.
My thoughts and prayers are with his family and friends.
His work was OK; that’s done alright and will stand as such.
A great voice for reason has gone quiet, but his words of wisdom will be heard forever where there are people who believe in the truth
We all bear a bit of responsibility for this increasingly unnecessary loss. Some, like big pharma and the captured FDA, more than others. Fightaging.org
Climate science has lost a giant. I was lucky to have met the man when I was teen living in the Chicago “Boonies” (western and southern suburbs). He was our local TV “weatherman” and would visit schools for talks.