Featured Meteorologist Rob Marciano
Rob Marciano, ABC's top Meteorologist, covers everything from hurricanes to eclipses, showing how weather affects us all with his weather expertise.
Rob Marciano is the ABC News senior meteorologist of “World News Tonight” and “Good Morning America.” He joined the network in September 2014 and reports across all ABC News broadcasts and digital platforms. Click for full Bio.
Since joining the network, he has reported on nearly every natural disaster to hit the United States. Marciano has covered hurricanes, tornadoes, floods and blizzards; even erupting volcanoes surrounding towns in Hawaii. During ABC News’ coverage of the Great American Eclipse, Marciano was live on the Oregon coast at the start of the path of totality. Some of his most recent reporting investigated the property insurance crisis inflicting millions in a 30-minute special, America Uninsured.
Before joining ABC News, Marciano was the co-host of “Entertainment Tonight,” where he interviewed hundreds of celebrities including full-hour specials with Jennifer Lopez and Katy Perry. Prior to his position at “ET,” Marciano worked at CNN News Group since 2003 where he had been a news and weather anchor. Additionally, he worked across the CNN Network as a field correspondent. Marciano’s reports for CNN from the field during Hurricane Katrina and the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico helped garner a Peabody Award. He also hosted primetime specials including “Rescue: Saving the Gulf,” where he worked side by side with the heroes who saved wildlife, skimmed oil and cleaned up the beach during the worst oil disaster in U.S. history.
Marciano graduated from Cornell University with a bachelor’s degree in meteorology and holds the American Meteorological Society Seal of Approval as a Certified Broadcast Meteorologist. When not chasing storms, Rob enjoys spending time with his young daughter and son.
You can Follow Rob on Twitter/X here or on Facebook and Instagram
What was your most memorable weather event?
That’s a tough one. I’ve had a few scary moments, and just as many amazingly spiritual weather-related experiences. I’d say being in my first center-cut eye of a hurricane was the most memorable. Hurricane Ike in Galveston 2008. After the ferocious eye-wall of wind and flying debris came the eerie silence of the eye. The palm fronds hanging motionless in the complete calm, bugs and birds flying around dazed and confused, with the stars peering down on me… so wild. That eye lasted about 40 minutes until all hell broke loose again. It was a big ✓ off the meteorological bucket list! I’ve had two other experiences that rival the spiritual feeling of being in the eye of a hurricane: the Aurora Borealis and Total Solar Eclipses. All absolutely mind-blowing stuff.
What is your favourite and least favourite type of weather?
My favorite kind of weather to experience is severe thunderstorms. All of the atmosphere’s physical, thermal, and electrical dynamics in a visceral dance. And of course, when the right ingredients come together, a supercell thunderstorm’s piéce de rèsistance, weather’s holy hell-raising grail… tornadoes. When that happens it can be an emotional rollercoaster of awe, joy, and fear. Often in that order. My favorite kind of weather to REPORT on is snow. I grew up in the Northeast and absolutely love snow. I love the sight, the feel, even the smell of snow. Yeah it’s cold, but the power rarely goes out, fatalities are very few, and the mood of people in a snowstorm is a childlike exuberance.
If you weren't a meteorologist, what would you most like to be?
If not a meteorologist, I’d be working on Wall Street, likely still trading. When I first got out of college, I couldn’t get a TV job. I looked like I was 12 years old and very much sucked at doing TV. While I was working as a waiter, a customer offered me an opportunity to work on an institutional equity sales trading desk in Manhattan. I knew nothing about trading stocks but loved the idea of trying to forecast the days movement, and did anything the older guys told me just to learn. Within six months I was a licensed sales trader, by my 2nd year was trading on a modest P & L. In year three, I finally got a full-time job offer as a TV meteorologist in Lake Charles, Louisiana. It was a huge pay cut, but I made the decision to follow my true passion… weather. I quit my Wall Street job, drove south, and never looked backed. Well, I guess I do still watch a lot of CNBC!
From a purely meteorological point of view, where would you most like to live?
Denver. I know it seems weird for a meteorologist to want to live where there is 300 days of sunshine, but there is also a challenging variety of forecasting and unmatched wild swings in weather in and around Denver. An hour west and you have mountain powder and summer monsoon thunderstorms. An hour east and you’re in prime High Plains tornado chase country. You’ve got wave and lenticular clouds coming off the Rockies. Plus, who doesn’t want to live a mile closer to the Jetstream!
If you are interested in being a Featured Meteorologist on StormHour, please contact mark @ stormhour.com or via DM on Twitter.
