Federal Alliance for Safe Homes (FLASH)® Names William "Bill" Read 2025 National Weatherperson of the Year

Nonprofit recognizes the former National Hurricane Center Director with Lifetime Achievement Award  

TALLAHASSEE, Fla., Feb. 5, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, the Federal Alliance for Safe Homes (FLASH) recognized former National Hurricane Center Director Bill Read as the 2025 National Weatherperson of the Year. This prestigious annual award honors weather professionals who demonstrate exceptional leadership in promoting disaster safety and resilience.

FLASH is honoring Bill with the inaugural National Weatherperson of the Year Lifetime Achievement Award. The distinguished accolade celebrates an extraordinary individual whose contributions have significantly shaped meteorology and advanced public safety for generations. During his tenure as the National Hurricane Center Director from 2008 to 2012, he guided countless communities through dangerous storms, including Hurricane Ike. His expertise and experience have helped shape policies and practices that continue to save lives and property today.

A United States Navy Veteran and former Hurricane Hunter, Bill helped develop and promote the widely recognized "Turn Around, Don't Drown" life-safety campaign through collaboration with FLASH and the National Weather Service (NWS). His career with the NWS took him across the country, with key roles in Virginia, Texas, Maryland, and Florida. His service now includes co-hosting the National Tropical Weather Conference and webinar series, contributing to the National Disaster Resilience Conference, serving as a FLASH Leadership Partner, and more.

"We are proud to honor Bill's dedication to strengthening communities against the devastating impacts of floods and hurricanes," said FLASH President and CEO Leslie Chapman-Henderson. "His excellence in hurricane forecasting, coupled with his commitment to stronger building practices and resilience, has helped safeguard countless lives and homes. Bill stands as a distinguished leader whose work has left an enduring legacy."

Now retired from NWS, Bill continues to give back, volunteering his time and expertise to multiple Texas A&M University advisory boards, including the former College of Geosciences Advisory Board and the Atmospheric Sciences Advisory Board, among others.

Past National Weatherperson of the Year award 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-TV, San Antonio, TX
• 2017 – Dr. Richard Knabb, Hurricane Expert & Tropical Program Manager - The Weather Channel
• 2018 – Ada Monzón, Chief Meteorologist, AMS Fellow - CBM-WIPR-TV, Puerto Rico
• 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
• 2022 – Ken Graham, Director - National Weather Service
• 2023 – Matthew Cappucci, Meteorologist - MyRadar, Capital Weather Gang
• 2024 – Mike Buresh, Chief Meteorologist - Action News JAX - WJAX, WFOX

The National Weatherperson of the Year award coincides with the annual celebration of National Weatherperson's Day on February 5, commemorating the birthday of pioneering weather observer John Jeffries. Jeffries' meteorological work in the 1780s laid the foundation for modern weather forecasting and safety practices.

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,  MyRadar, National Weather Service, Renew Financial, 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 easily 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)