Federal Alliance for Safe Homes Announces Finalists for the 2022 National Weatherperson of the Year Award

TALLAHASSEE, Fla., Jan. 14, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, the nonprofit Federal Alliance for Safe Homes (FLASH) announced the three finalists for the 2022 National Weatherperson of the Year award, an annual honor recognizing an outstanding weatherperson for leadership in promoting disaster safety education and resilience.

The three finalists listed in alphabetical order include:

Kenneth Graham, Director – National Hurricane Center
Ken received his Bachelor of Atmospheric Science Degree at the University of Arizona and earned a Master of Science Degree in Geosciences from Mississippi State University. While in Mississippi, he was a broadcast meteorologist for a CBS affiliate and was an agricultural meteorologist for the Mississippi Network Radio. Ken previously served as the Meteorologist-in-Charge at the NWS Forecast Office in the New Orleans/Baton Rouge region, providing tropical cyclone information in addition to tornadoes, severe thunderstorms, and flash flood watches and warnings.

Ken is nominated for his leadership at the National Hurricane Center and his innovative approach to using social science in hurricane outreach.

Chris Sowers, Meteorologist – 6ABC Philadelphia
Chris graduated with a Meteorology degree from Kean University in Union, New Jersey. He also has his NWA Seal from the National Weather Association and numerous certificates for mesoscale circulation and forecasting. In 2005, Chris began his on-air career as a Chief Meteorologist for WNKY in Bowling Green, Kentucky. He then served as the weekend meteorologist for WFLD in Chicago, Illinois, from 2008 to 2011. Chris joined Action News as the weekend morning meteorologist in May 2011. Chris has 20 years of television forecasting experience, 17 of those years spent in a top-five market.

Chris is nominated for his longstanding dedication to meteorology and the education and safety of his viewers.

Dr. Reed Timmer, Extreme Meteorologist and Storm Chaser

Dr. Timmer is an extreme storm chaser and highly recognized in the public eye from the reality television series Storm Chasers on the Discovery Channel. He has a Ph.D. in Meteorology from the University of Oklahoma and is the designer of the SRV Dominator vehicles used for chasing tornadoes. He established TornadoVideos.net (TVN), the premier source of weather footage for news and production companies, and TVNweather.com, a live stream of severe weather events that warns viewers located in the path of a dangerous storm. Dr. Timmer has documented more than 1,000 tornadoes and has also chased and intercepted a vast amount of hurricanes, floods, and blizzards, providing up-to-the-minute reporting that has saved countless lives.

Dr. Timmer is nominated for his dedication to informing his followers about all types of severe weather and for his service following a disaster.

"Our 2022 award finalists go above and beyond to help protect people and property from severe weather," said FLASH President and CEO Leslie Chapman-Henderson. "These exemplary individuals were nominated for their unconditional dedication to excellence in meteorological science, innovative use of technology, and commitment to community outreach and education."

Previous winners include:

• 2014 - Jim Cantore, On-Camera Meteorologist, and Co-Host, "AMHQ" - The Weather Channel
• 2015 - Max Mayfield, former National Hurricane Center Director
• 2016 - Alex Garcia, Chief Meteorologist - KABB Fox 29 - San Antonio, TX
• 2017 - Dr. Richard Knabb, Hurricane Expert, and National Tropical Program Manager - The Weather Channel
• 2018 - Ada Monzon, Chief Meteorologist - WIPR-TV, Noticias 24/7, Univision Radio (WKAQ 580 AM)
• 2019 - James Spann, Chief Meteorologist - ABC 33/40, Birmingham, AL
• 2020 - Joe Snedeker, Morning Meteorologist - WNEP - Newswatch 16, Scranton, PA
• 2021 - Ginger Zee, Chief Meteorologist - ABC News

FLASH originated the National Weatherperson of the Year Award to coincide with the celebration of National Weatherperson's Day on February 5, the birthday of the pioneering weather observer John Jeffries. After a decade of research on the ground, Jeffries piloted a hot air balloon in 1774 to test weather conditions and advance the science of meteorology. His work paved the way for many aspects of meteorology today.

Visit the FLASH or National Weatherperson's Day Facebook pages or click here before January 23 to vote on a finalist. Follow @FederalAlliance on Twitter for updates. The FLASH Board of Directors will select the winner, and the name will be announced on Friday, February 4.

Visit the 2022 National Weatherperson of the Year Award page for information on previous winners.

About FLASH

The nonprofit Federal Alliance for Safe Homes (FLASH) is the country's leading consumer advocate for strengthening homes and safeguarding families from disasters. The FLASH partnership includes more than 100 innovative and diverse organizations that share a vision of making America a more disaster-resilient nation, including FEMA, Florida Division of Emergency Management, Huber Engineered Woods, International Code Council, ISO - Verisk Analytics, Lowe's, MyRadar, National Weather Service, Simpson Strong-Tie, State Farm, and USAA. In 2008, FLASH and Disney opened the interactive weather experience StormStruck: A Tale of Two Homes in Lake Buena Vista, FL. FLASH's signature program No Code. No Confidence. - Inspect2Protect.org provides consumers with a one-of-a-kind building code transparency tool to quickly identify their community's building code. Learn more about FLASH and access free consumer resources by visiting www.flash.org and www.Inspect2Protect.org, calling toll-free (877) 221- SAFE (7233), following @federalalliance on Twitter, and Facebook.com/federalalliance.

SOURCE Federal Alliance for Safe Homes (FLASH)