John Farley

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Chief Meteorologist

 

John Farley has worked as a Meteorologist for more than 20 years and is honored to be the Chief Meteorologist for ABC Columbia. He understands the challenges of forecasting the ever-changing weather of the Midlands. That was never more important than on Saturday night October 3rd, when the worst storm of a generation dropped up to 21 inches of rain right here in Columbia. During that storm, John spent the night and following day in continuous coverage, warning viewers of the perils of the flooding. He says, “It’s a period of 36 hours that has left an indelible imprint on me. Seeing our neighbors, whose lives are now changed forever because of the power of this storm, is very impacting.”

Before joining ABC Columbia, he was the Chief Meteorologist for NBC Affiliate in Columbia for 5 years. Prior to that he was at KNTV, the NBC affiliate in San Francisco, where he was the Chief Meteorologist for 9 years. John is an EMMY Award winning meteorologist, and is a Certified Broadcast Meteorologist (CBM) with the American Meteorological Society. He holds a Master of Science Degree in Meteorology from San Jose State University, in San Jose, California, where he received the honor of Graduate of the Last Decade from the College of Science in 2001.

While in Graduate School, John worked with a team to create mathematical models that forecast the fog at San Francisco International Airport. His team was given the Excellence in Aviation Award from the FAA in 2002. John Farley is happy to report that the FAA still uses those models today. While in California, John also worked as a consultant for a power company which provides gas & electricity to roughly 16 million people. His responsibilities included temperature, wind, snow, and severe weather forecasting, as well as providing long-term electricity generation forecasts for proposed wind farms.

John loves to talk weather and he has visited with thousands of students over the past 20 years. He lives in Lexington with his wife and three children. They are all thrilled to call the Midlands home.

John Farley

Articles

Earth’s Orange Glow

This is one of the coolest pictures from space. The upper atmosphere is glowing orange. NASA calls it "airglow."  Live Science says its "...caused by chemical reactions high in Earth's atmosphere, NASA reported. This ghostly glow usually happens when ultraviolet…

Today’s Forecast

Look for more showers on Thursday with yet more active rain on Friday. But skies will clear nicely for your weekend plans.

Today’s Forecast

Look for thickening clouds on Wednesday - leading to rain overnight into Thursday morning. More clouds on Thursday with active showers returning on Friday. Sunshine returns for your weekend plans.

The Oceans Are Heating Up Much Faster Than Previously Thought

A new study published in the journal Nature concludes that the world's oceans have absorbed roughly 60% more heat during the past 25 years than previously calculated. The researchers used a new method for measuring the temperature, which allows them…

Today’s Forecast

This weekend will deliver bright sunshine and cool temperatures. Enjoy! And don't forget Daylight saving time ends this Sunday November 4th.