WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — After nearly three decades of guiding Palm Beach County and the Treasure Coast through countless storms, First Alert Weather meteorologist Steve Weagle is preparing to step back from the front lines of hurricane coverage.
His journey from newcomer to trusted household name began with a baptism by fire and evolved into a career defined by calm urgency during the region's most dangerous weather.
WATCH BELOW: Steve Weagle reflects on 27-year hurricane journey
Weagle arrived at WPTV in 1998, but it wasn't until Hurricane Irene in 1999 that he truly found his footing. The storm, which struck on Friday the 13th in October, was supposed to hit Tampa but made a last-minute turn toward South Florida.
"It was one of those storms that was supposed to hit Tampa. It was Friday the 13th in October 1999. It did a little jog to the right, came in through the Everglades and hit us as either a strong tropical storm or a hurricane," Weagle said.
That first major storm became a sink-or-swim moment. Weagle ran the entire overnight show solo with just a producer by his side.
"The irony to that is it was just me and a producer overnight, Tom Kastanotis, covering that storm," Weagle said. "Tom would hand me news bulletins like this neighborhood or the city is out of power, or there's a boil water issue for another town, so I was doing the news, I was doing everything, and Tom would hand me the news highlights."
Hurricane Floyd, that same year, brought innovation to storm coverage. The team abandoned rigid scripts for a more immediate approach that viewers had never experienced before.
"We did something everyone kind of does now in the news. That is, we just went off script. If I were in front of the Chroma key, one of the other meteorologists would just walk up to me, interrupt me while I was doing the weather, and hand me some bulletin that might say, 'Oh there's a new watch for Palm Beach County,'" Weagle said. "And viewers loved it because viewers felt like there was an immediacy that they had never seen before."
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That immediacy without fearmongering became Weagle's signature approach, setting him apart during one of his most challenging seasons in 2004 when Hurricanes Frances and Jeanne struck just three weeks apart.
"Frances and Jeanne hit three weeks apart. It was September 2004, and they did some damage. Both of those hurricanes packed a punch," he said.
For the first time, WPTV's studio in West Palm Beach itself took a direct hit during the storms.
"The roof was caving in here in Studio B, (there was a) whole area (that) was underwater. There were three people throughout the entire night with squeegees squeegeeing the water away from all the wires in this area and master control," Weagle said.
Despite the chaos, Weagle powered through more than 60 hours of continuous coverage, fueled by coffee, adrenaline, and genuine passion for meteorology. His calm demeanor during the crisis became legendary among listeners who relied on battery-powered radios when the power went out.
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"It was the first real storm where people were in their safe rooms. They didn't have power. All they had were battery-powered radios. And they just listened to my voice. That was the overwhelming response I got after the fact. People thought I had a calming voice," Weagle said. "One of our former GMs said I had this unique ability to be urgent and calming at the same time."
The 2004 season transformed Weagle from a relative unknown to a regional icon. He began receiving emails from viewers who credited him with saving their lives during the storms.
"I went from hardly anyone knowing me to every single person who would see me knowing me," Weagle said.
That recognition brought responsibility that carried through decades of subsequent storms, including recent hurricanes like Irma and Milton.
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"There was a responsibility that started after Frances and Jeanne that just kind of carried on through the other storms, even the latest ones like Irma and Milton last year," Weagle said.
As Weagle prepares to step away from active hurricane coverage, he acknowledges the difficulty of watching from the sidelines.
"Is that going to be hard for you next hurricane season, not being in the mix? Yeah, it will be tough," Weagle said.
However, the bond he's built with viewers over 27 years remains unbreakable.
"It's a bond that just can't be broken. We literally even though I was here, they were in the closet or under their stairs or under their bathroom it's a bond we have," Weagle said.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
