After 42 years of broadcasting the weather for WBZ Boston, veteran meteorologist, Barry Burbank, has retired. He told Emily Rooney on WGBH News’ Greater Boston Thursday that the fascination with the science began when he was a young child.
“I was four-and-a-half years old and we had a hurricane,” he said. “And I could remember sitting on the couch of my parents' living room and putting my hands up over my ears, and putting them over my eyes, and going back and forth because I was frightened by what I was seeing and hearing. ... So, from that day on, my parents said I was always at the window wondering if we would get another storm like that."
Reflecting on his career, Burbank recalled the record-breaking snowfall of 2015 as one of his most memorable moments as a meteorologist. That winter, Boston received close to 111 inches of snow.
“I remember at that point we were looking at everything across the globe was saying is it possible that we could have a winter which would have record-breaking snow?” he said. “We decided to tone it back and not go for it on the air. But deep down, we really thought it was going to be an incredible winter.”
Burbank also touched on the advances in meteorology technology. Back when he started as a weatherman, there were only two maps in the studio — one for New England and one for the country.
“We have very sophisticated mathematical models now to guide us in forecasting. ... This kind of science is still an inexact science, so it’s not always going to be perfect all the time, but we are so much better than we used to be,” he explained.
Additionally, Burbank remarked that the weather has become more important because it’s a common denominator.
“I think everyone’s really interested in the weather and seemingly some people say the weather has gotten worse and worse — we have more extremes now. So, the weather affects all of us, not just a certain segment of the viewing audience,” he said.
