George Alfred Winterling was an American television meteorologist and the creator of the "heat index".
19 Facts About George Winterling
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Chief meteorologist for television station WJXT in Jacksonville, Florida for almost fifty years, Winterling helped develop modern forecasting.
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George Winterling was born in New Jersey, but moved with his family to Jacksonville at age 10.
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George Winterling graduated from Robert E Lee High School in 1949 and joined the United States Air Force.
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George Winterling was posted to Shemya Air Force Base in the Aleutian Islands of Alaska where he observed storms in the Pacific Ocean.
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George Winterling was initially employed by the United States Weather Bureau and stayed there for five years.
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In 1962, George Winterling approached WJXT management with a new idea: add a meteorologist to the news broadcast to present a weather forecast.
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Less than two years later, George Winterling was the only local forecaster to warn Jacksonville residents that Hurricane Dora would make landfall on the First Coast.
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George Winterling had been a member of the American Meteorological Society since 1963 and his broadcasts carried their Seal of Approval.
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In 1969, George Winterling was appointed to the Board of Radio and Television Weathercasting and redesigned the AMS Seal of Approval during 1973.
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George Winterling was employed by Jacksonville University as an adjunct professor beginning in 1975, teaching meteorology through 1994.
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George Winterling received an outstanding service award from the AMS in 1984 for his use of animation to enable viewers to better understand weather phenomenon.
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George Winterling became a Certified Consulting Meteorologist after passing the AMS exam in 1989.
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George Winterling stated that he would have more time for community events and appearances at schools and civic organizations.
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George Winterling noted that in the early years, there were occasions when he needed to alert viewers to severe weather conditions, but the network's broadcast rules did not permit the interruption of programs.
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George Winterling pioneered the way we do weather, he helped us understand how we can make it relevant to viewers.
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George Winterling returned to WJXT to broadcast the weather shortly after recovering from cardiac arrest for one broadcast during their morning show on November 21,2011.
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George Winterling maintained a garden at his home, and shared pictures and produce with other employees.
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For nearly 12 years, George Winterling delivered the 6:00 weather live from the garden each Thursday during the growing season.