Longtime weather reporter for Seattle TV Station KIRO passed away this morning after suffering a stroke yesterday.
From KIRO:
Long-Time KIRO 7 Meteorologist Harry Wappler DiesCliff Mass has a nice memorial on his blog:
Harry Wappler, the legendary KIRO 7 meteorologist who appeared on Seattle-area television screens longer than any other TV weatherman, died today.
"It is with great sadness that I share with you that we have lost one of our truly special gems today," wrote KIRO 7 Vice President and General Manager Eric Lerner in an e-mail to KIRO 7 employees Wednesday. "Harry Wappler and KIRO will always be connected, and we could not be more proud."
Known for his wit and ability to ad-lib on live television, Harry said his favorite moments were the ones when he made people laugh.
"I think any time you can get a run as long as I�ve had, you can�t have any regrets about it," he told an interviewer when he was awarded a National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences Silver Circle award in 1996.
Harry Wappler (1936-2010)Always classy! My favorite of the Seattle television weathermen. His son Andy is filling his shoes but it's not the same dammit!
It is with great sadness that I note the passing of Harry Wappler, the dean of Northwest weathercasters for over a quarter century. As many of you remember, Harry was the lead meteorologist on KIRO-TV during the 70s, 80s, and 90s. He was one of the most genuine, kind, warm-hearted individuals I have ever met, and a passionate, enthusiastic member of the local weather community.
I got to know him quite well when I returned to UW to join the atmospheric sciences faculty. Although Harry did not have a degree in atmospheric sciences (he had a B.A. in speech from Northwestern and a graduate degree from Yale Divinity School!), he was an avid student of Northwest weather and I learned a great deal from him about the convergence zone and other local weather features. Harry was the TV weathercaster that I would watch. He was a mainstay of the local weather community and secured substantial funding from KIRO to invite a distinguished meteorologist to town each year. The local chapter of the American Meteorological Society would meet at KIRO once a year and Harry always supplied a nice carrot cake. I still remember that carrot cake fondly.
To give you an idea of Harry's involvement with the community, on November 13, 1981 a major storm was offshore. The numerical prediction technology at that time was fairly primitive and without much skill for such events. Harry had a new-fangled invention that the National Weather Service did not possess: a device that could animate satellite imagery, something we take for granted today. An intense storm was obvious in the animation and headed our way. Harry made a tape of the satellite loop and rushed it to the National Weather Service folks who put out a timely and accurate warning. He could have kept it to himself and smoked the other stations, but that was not Harry's way.
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