8/19 - 4:30pm - Weekend Rain on the Way, Belski Retiring

It's been one busy week at MSU so far! Classes have begun and it's time to get back into the swing of things. It's also been a rainy week around here, with nearly an inch of rain since the 14th in Starkville. We could add to that total tomorrow afternoon with storms that fire off during the heating of the day, but I think our best chance of rain will come on Saturday as a surface low (the remnants of TD 5) moves to the Eastern seaboard. We'll be keeping an eye on a couple cold fronts that could make their way down here next week (like Monday, left image), but for now expect temperatures in the low to mid 90's and a daily chance for afternoon rain after this weekend.

WAVE-TV meteorologist and good friend John Belski is retiring after over 30 years on the air in September. John has been one of my main inspirations for getting into broadcast meteorology after growing up watching his cheerful, informative, and oftentimes humorous forecasts. Throughout the last few years John has supported me greatly as I've made the transition from wanting to be a meteorologist to getting the education needed to be one. You may recall when John put me on the air during a job shadow I did at the station back in 2007... That was completely his idea to do that and I haven't been the same since. Since then I presented a forecast with him on TV as part of a contest at WAVE back in February 2009 and this spring Kevin Harned (now chief meteorologist at WAVE) and I sent video updates to him during my annual storm chasing trip. Louisville will surely miss John's forecasts and especially his blog, which is probably one of the most successful local weather blogs in the nation. TV news is one of the fastest-paced industries in the country and John was always at the technological forefront. Kevin Harned will do a fantastic job as his replacement and I'm sure that WAVE will continue in their tradition of having an exceptional weather department.

Just as one career is winding down, another is just beginning. I received some great news today about an opportunity I've been pursuing and I can't wait to share it with everyone. There are still some details to be worked out, but I assure you that the news won't disappoint. I'll have all the specifics on this in a few weeks.