9/28 - 5pm - MSU Forecast Video

With not a drop of rain in the forecast, it looks to be a very pleasant week here in Mississippi!

9/26 - 11:45pm - Great Weekend at WBBJ!

I had another wonderful weekend at WBBJ-TV ABC 7 in Jackson. I did three newscasts this weekend there, and you can view Saturday's 10pm show below:



This is my last weekend filling in for the afternoon shows because this coming Saturday I'll be starting my normal morning shift with Good Morning West Tennessee at 6am. Can't wait to begin my first morning show! I'll be back on Tuesday with an updated MSU weather forecast here on the blog.

9/24 - 2pm - Article in MSU's Reflector Newspaper

Mississippi State University's student-run newspaper The Reflector printed an article about me in this morning's edition. Check out a snippet of the article and a link to the full text below:

"Ryan Hoke, Mississippi State University sophomore professional meteorology major, turned a childhood obsession with thunderstorms into a career in weather forecasting.

Hoke's accomplishments include an interview on The Weather Channel, feature weather forecasts on WAVE-TV in Louisville, Ky., and WBBJ-TV in Jackson, Tenn., a job as a tour guide for Storm Chasing Adventure Tours and a full scholarship from MSU."

Read online version | Read printed version (5MB PDF)

9/21 - 5pm - MSU Weather Forecast Video

It doesn't take me to tell you that it's hot out there around North Mississippi. Readings in the upper 90's were quite common across the Golden Triangle this afternoon as high pressure kept the cloud cover and precipitation away. We'll see that heat continue, but with some moderation over the next few days and a slight increase in humidity. A frontal boundary will approach the region by the weekend, so we could have a shot at some rain then. Check out the video below:

9/20 - 11am - First Weekend at WBBJ

Three and a half years ago I began producing short weather forecast videos for my new Louisville, KY weather website. Two days ago, I began my first job as a weather forecaster at WBBJ ABC 7 in Jackson, TN. I'm still in shock that it only took three and a half years to get where I am now. Needless to say, I'm the youngest on-air talent at WBBJ right now at 19 years old. I can't believe this is happening!

My first show took place on Saturday at around 10:30pm. There was a football game on ABC that ran late, so our 10pm show was delayed. It was a decent first broadcast and I'm happy that I was able to pull it off! You can watch some of that broadcast below:



On Sunday at 5:30pm, I went on for my second broadcast at ABC 7. This newscast was better than the first because I grew accustomed to the logistics of the studio and the weather graphics system. Unfortunately I could not record this newscast like I did for the Saturday show, but luckily WBBJ posted a short clip of the weather segment on their website. You can view that clip below:



I'll be back next weekend to fill-in for more newscasts at WBBJ before I start my normal Saturday morning shift at the station on October 2nd. I want to thank all the behind-the-scenes and on-air staff at WBBJ for welcoming me so warmly and helping me out during this first weekend. The people at this station have to be some of the nicest in the business and I'm so lucky that I get to start my career with them. As always, the Mississippi State meteorology department needs to be acknowledged for their efforts in helping me become a better weather forecaster and a better broadcaster. They're role in helping me get this job has been crucial in so many ways. I can't say enough that MSU is the absolute best broadcast meteorology school in the Southeast. This isn't just because the department produces some great meteorologists, but because they are willing and able to help students get a foothold in the industry after (and sometimes before!) graduation. I'm looking forward to my next two and a half years at MSU as I continue to learn and grow in the field of meteorology.

As if the WBBJ ABC 7 job wasn't enough, I should have some more "big news" by the end of the week. Lots of great stuff going on! I'll be back on Tuesday with my next MSU CampusConnect forecast here on the blog.

9/17 - 8pm - Super Weather Weekend!

Today was certainly fun and informative as I attended the broadcast workshop portion of the Southeast Severe Storms Symposium here at MSU. TV meteorologists James Spann (ABC 33/40 - Birmingham, AL), Mary Wasson (WTVQ - Lexington, KY), and others spoke about a range of issues pertaining to broadcast meteorology and television news. They all had great advice for the up and coming meteorology students in the audience, including yours truly. Tomorrow is the operational workshop of the symposium, which will include presentations on various weather phenomena from National Weather Service meteorologists and professors from MSU. I'll be chairing (emceeing) the symposium for a couple hours tomorrow, so it should be a lot of fun!

As if that weren't enough for tomorrow... Right after I finish chairing the symposium tomorrow afternoon, I get to jump in my car and head to Jackson, TN to begin my broadcast meteorology career at WBBJ ABC 7. My very first show will air tomorrow at 10pm CDT and I'm very, very excited to say the least. I understand that most of my blog viewers do not live close enough to Jackson to see that station, so I hope to have some video from that newscast posted here late tomorrow night or early Sunday morning. I'll also be doing the 5:30pm Sunday newscast, so I'll have a second attempt at getting some video if it doesn't work tomorrow. I do want to mention that WBBJ is available on cable from Murray, KY to Corinth, MS, so if you live within a stone's throw of West Tennessee, you may want to check your channel listings. This is not the start of my normal shift, which will start on October 2nd at 6am. I'm filling in for the weekends leading up to the premiere of the new Saturday morning show on WBBJ to get acquainted with my new position and to get introduced to the viewers. This is going to be a great experience and I know that my years of practice and preparation will pay off tomorrow.

Now that we've addressed this weekend's activities, let's talk weather! Hurricane Igor is on track towards Bermuda and is currently a Category 2 storm with winds of 105mph. Hurricane Julia is positioned to the east of Igor and is barely maintaining hurricane status at the moment. Both storms are not expected to hit the US, but Bermuda is likely to see some problems from Igor. Back closer to home, things are pretty quiet weather-wise. A cold front passed through Mississippi early this morning and brought northerly winds to the area, meaning we'll see humidity levels drop over the next couple days as that drier air filters into the region. It will likely get hot and steamy again by the end of the weekend in North Mississippi as southerly winds return. Aside from that, the rest of the week looks dry and hot as high pressure remains in control. I wouldn't expect any rain until at least next weekend, and even then it doesn't look terribly promising.

9/14 - 5pm - MSU Weather Forecast Video

Things are pretty stable around here in Mississippi, but we'll see a southward wind shift tomorrow as high pressure off the east coast begins to influence out weather. This will increase humidity values from Wednesday through Friday and give us some cloud cover as well. By Friday a new high pressure center will form to the northwest of the region and begin to funnel northerly air into the area that should decrease humidity and clouds for the weekend. View the entire forecast in the video below:

9/10 - 3:30pm - Here Comes a Cold Front! / WBBJ-TV

It may have been hot and muggy, but the weather for yesterday's MSU/Auburn game was perfect by most counts. It became clear very early in the day that the small chance of rain in the forecast for the game was gone, which was very good news considering the crazy rainfall we had on Wednesday that was on everybody's mind. Showers and storms have developed to our north this afternoon where a warm front is pulling eastward and we may see some of those develop down here in Starkville as the afternoon progresses. Rain chances will be higher tomorrow compared to today with the approach of a cold front that should pass through on Sunday. I think the best chance for rain tomorrow will happen in the late afternoon hours as the heating of the day coupled with the lift from the approaching front come together over North Mississippi. Temperatures next week should only hit around 90 degrees with lower 60's for lows due to the decreased humidity behind this cold front.

I'm off to Jackson, TN for the weekend to begin training and getting ready for my new job at WBBJ-TV ABC 7. It's exciting to be starting my first TV job soon and I should hopefully be on the air for some introductory broadcasts within the next few weeks. My Saturday morning shift officially starts on October 2nd and I'll try to post videos of my broadcasts on the blog if possible. Should be fun!

9/7 - 4pm - MSU Forecast Video

We're in the middle of a pretty average week weather-wise here in Mississippi. Temperatures will remain in the mid 90's with high humidity and an almost daily chance for afternoon thunderstorms. Check out the video below:

9/4 - 10am - Hello from Louisville!

I'm back home in Louisville for the Labor Day weekend, which is sure to be filled with sunny skies, good food, and college football. The same cold front that came through North Mississippi yesterday came through here the day before, meaning temperatures will stay in the 70's here today with low dewpoints around the region. That front is brought pleasant weather to most of the Southeast, so go out there and enjoy it this weekend!

Hurricane Earl has now weakened into a tropical storm and is moving off toward Nova Scotia. It did not hit Cape Cod as a hurricane, which was very good news for the folks up there. There was some isolated flooding and numerous power outages, but that's about the extent of the damage in New England. North Carolina took a heavier blow from Earl, but the damage was not as significant as once feared. We turn our attention now to the remnant low of once Tropical Storm Gaston. This area of disturbed weather (marked by the red 70% circle in the NHC map) could once redevelop and turn into a storm that could affect the Caribbean and Gulf. We'll keep an eye on it.