Our highly educated local meteorologists help clarify why the power of Mother Nature makes weather exciting!
ROBERT VAN WINKLE-
Robert Van Winkle has been Director of Weather Services and Chief Meteorologist at WBBH in Fort Myers since 2003. He recently moved to the morning shift at NBC2, starting his day at 4:30 a.m. In August 2004, Van Winkle was the first meteorologist to detect a shift in the track of Hurricane Charley, giving Southwest Florida residents a few extra hours to prepare before Charley made landfall.
Why did you choose to become a meteorologist?
I started my career in meteorology when I joined the U.S. Navy. I was trained and worked on the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz. I can’t say that I always wanted to be a weatherman, but the training and on-the-job experience in the Navy really suited me. I was the designated weather briefer on the Nimitz and did the TV news when we were at sea. I also found myself giving weather briefs to Rear Admirals and Captains at the ripe age of 21. It was a pretty cool start to a career in weather.
