Paul Barys, the 70-year-old, soon-to-be-former chief meteorologist at WRCB-TV Channel 3, has spent more than half his life telling area residents whether they need umbrellas, windbreakers or sunscreen.
That run officially ends Friday as his longtime career comes to a close. Barys fielded a few questions during his last week on the job:
Q: Where did you go to college?
A: I graduated from Northern Illinois University in 1973 with a bachelor's degree in meteorology.
Q: When did you come to Chattanooga? Where did you work before that? Or was this your first job?
A: My first job in TV was in 1975-77 in Washington, North Carolina; second job was in Fort Wayne, Indiana, from 1977-82; third job was in Cleveland, Ohio, from 1982 to 1985. I have been here since 1985, which makes 36 years here, and 46 years total. Thirty-six years in one market is very rare. I would say it's three TV lifetimes!
Q: What was the closest you came to leaving - year, and place - and why did you stay?
A: I never really thought about leaving here. My children were less than 1 and 3 years old when we moved here, and everything was working out quite well. The city liked me, and I liked the city. My family enjoyed it here. The station was very kind and supported me with everything I needed. I had worked in a major market in Cleveland, Ohio, and did not really enjoy it there, so this was a perfect fit.
Q: What was the most memorable weather event in your time here?
A: The blizzard of 1993 and the tornado outbreak in April 2011. The blizzard was forecasted well, and I stuck my neck out saying it would be the worst winter storm Chattanooga had ever seen. The rest is history. The tornado outbreak was well forecasted, and we went wall-to-wall for 12 hours. It was devastating to me seeing so much destruction. Before I signed off that night, I told the audience that this would be the worst thing destruction-wise that the Tennessee Valley had ever seen since the Civil War.
Q: What was your best forecast and why? What was your biggest miss and why?
A: The '93 blizzard by far and away. My news director thought I had stuck my neck out too much, but I was confident.
[On the biggest miss], I can't remember the date, but it was a very strange storm that I thought would bring rain changing to snow by night. It started snowing immediately with no rain, and we got 3-4 inches in most of the city. But a lady called me from Tiftonia asking when it would start snowing there. It hardly snowed in Tiftonia. It was quite perplexing to this day.
Q: What will you miss most about your job?
A: The people I work with. Their support and love throughout these years were the biggest blessings.
Q: The weather is a surefire fallback for small talk at parties and/or family gatherings. Can you have small talk about the weather, or do people only ask you serious questions about it? What is your fallback topic at social events?
A: With strangers, they always ask what will happen today or tomorrow. Sometimes they will ask a more technical question, which I try to answer in simple terms because meteorology can become quite complicated. Usually, people are very nice, and I talk about my career in all the places I have been.
Q: How long have you had the beard? Which is more recognizable, your beard or Jim Coppinger's mustache?
A: I have had the beard for 36 years. Probably my beard because I get more air-time.
Q: What will you remember the most about your time doing the weather?
A: I wanted to study the weather since I was 14. I never wanted to be on TV until after I found out there was very little money for just forecasting in a private weather office. I never imagined what would happen in the next 46 years. My whole life has been a blessing. I get emotional thinking about all these wonderful times in this beautiful city with such friendly people. My wife and I will stay put. This is our home and unless something unseen happens we will spend the rest of our lives here.
Contact Jay Greeson at jgreeson@timesfreepress.com.
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Jay Greeson