Meteorologist Bob Ryan will sign off for final time tonight as he retires from forecasting the D.C. area’s weather. The WJLA weatherman will end his over three-decade career during the 11 p.m. newscast.
To anyone outside the Washington region, Ryan may be just another weatherman. But to those who’ve spent a decent amount of time here, Ryan is fixture of local weather scene, thanks to his reliable reporting and golden snow shovel. Just check out the Twitter hashtag “farewellbob” for a sampling of tributes.
He’s so well-known in the area that Mayor Vincent Gray declared May 22 to be Bob Ryan Day.
After leaving the Today show, Ryan became the chief meteorologist for WRC which is better known as NBC 4, in 1980. He was a crucial part of the 11 p.m. news team that featured anchors Jim Vance and Doreen Gentzler and the late sportscaster George Michael.
After the blizzard of 1996, The Washington Post profiled Ryan, giving insight into his serious style of reporting the weather:
“Traditionally, the weather was a lighter area of TV news,” Ryan says. “But I’m not a humorist. The science has advanced and our credibility has increased. In a situation like this, it can really make a difference in people’s lives if it’s a professional meteorologist or an entertainer who frankly can’t handle it for lack of knowledge.”
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Back in seventh grade, Bobby Ryan built a barometer out of milk cartons and wrote a report offering to help schoolmates with any of their weather questions. Now, Ryan’s annual Weatherwise Almanac sits on kitchen shelves in countless area homes after 16 years of publication.
Ryan firmly believes viewers want to understand their weather, not just hear the next day’s high temperature. Especially in Washington, with its unusually affluent and well-educated population, “People like to have an inside look at what goes into the weather,” Ryan says.
After 30 years with the station, Ryan made the jump to NBC 4’s rival WJLA in 2010. In May, he announced his retirement.
(WJLA is being sold by its parent company Allbritton and Ryan cited this as a reason to retire when he did.)
After he announced his retirement, Ryan told WJLA,” I don’t see myself stepping back completely and just watching the sunset.” He told the Post he may blog about weather for the Capital Weather Gang.
Watch a profile of Ryan broadcast from NBC 4 in 1982.
