By Lee Scott

My husband is well aware of my love for Jim Cantore. It has gone on for years. I was always a big Weather Channel fan, but when Jim came on the scene, well he had me at “Hello”.

Jim Cantore puts enthusiasm in the weather like no one else in his profession. Sure, Al Roker is good, and Dr. Steve Lyons is so informative. I love all of Dr. Lyons charts and graphs. Of course, when I want the local weather, I  to turn on Channel 3 in Savannah and watch Lee Haywood, the Meteorologist.  Lee always give me good information about the day’s forecast. They are all very proficient, but no one loves the weather as much as Jim Cantore.

My love affair with The Weather Channel started when I began to race sailboats. Knowing the current wind conditions, the temperature and future forecast all meant something on the race course. My husband, a life long racer, understood my fascination with the “Local Weather on the 8s”.

Then came Jim Cantore. It wasn’t just the Local on the “8s” anymore. It was whatever crazy weather was going on in the world. Jim was there at the scene and I was watching. Hurricanes, blizzards, hail storms, they are all his adrenaline. He stands there reporting in all kinds of weather wearing his signature headgear - baseball hats. His enthusiasm is contagious. He is always right there in the thick of storms. His hair blowing in the wind, (at least he used to have hair) pointing out the waves pounding the sand through a hurricane, or measuring the size of hail coming down during spring thunderstorms. The wind pushing him and the cameras all around as he tells you how hard the wind is blowing. But the one phenomenon he loves the most is Thunder snow.

His latest thrill was six sounds of thunder in a row during one of the most recent New England snow storms. He was reporting the weather conditions; standing there with icicles hanging from his beard, his goggles covered with snow when the first sound of thunder rolled in. He was beside himself  as another one happened, and then another. He counted them, one, two, three, four, five. Then it happened, “Six”, he yelled. He was jumping around the snow yelling and howling. I jumped up off the couch. “Six, thunder snow” I yelled along with Jim. “Six!”

“Sit down,” said my husband, calmly as I started punching the air with Jim!

Jim Cantore has seen it all and reports it with the contagious enthusiasm of a young child. I don’t wish bad weather on anyone, but if there is bad weather, Jim will be there and I will be watching.