Mike Bettes
Bettes in 2013
Born1972 (age 51–52)
Tallmadge, Ohio, U.S.
Alma materOhio State University
OccupationMeteorologist
Years active1988–present
EmployerThe Weather Channel
Spouse
Allison Chinchar
​
(m. 2012)​
AwardsEmmy Award

Michael Bettes (born 1972) is an American television meteorologist and storm chaser who works for The Weather Channel in Atlanta, Georgia. He was a co-host of AMHQ: America's Morning Headquarters.[1] He hosts Weather Underground TV. Bettes has been an on-camera meteorologist for TWC since 2003, and is also an occasional fill-in weather anchor on The Today Show.

Bettes hosted Abrams & Bettes Beyond the Forecast from 2006 to 2009, and Your Weather Today from 2009 to 2012. When it was relaunched as Morning Rush, he hosted it into 2014. The program was relaunched again in March of that year as America's Morning Headquarters. Bettes also formerly hosted Wake Up With Al, from (2009–2014). Bettes is a field reporter for The Weather Channel and is lead field meteorologist for The Great Tornado Hunt, the annual show that summarizes the nation's tornado seasons.[1]

Bettes accompanied scientists for TWC coverage of VORTEX2. He also has reported live from Hurricane Katrina, Hurricane Sandy, and other tropical cyclones, as well as floods and winter storms.[1]

He was caught in the EF3 (Previously EF5) tornado on May 31, 2013 in El Reno, Oklahoma, but survived; where eight people died that day. A year later, he and his crew returned to the Great Plains to forecast and report severe weather as part of the 2014 Tornado Track.

Early life and education, early career

Born in Tallmadge, Ohio in 1972, Bettes attended local schools when growing up. He graduated with a B.S. in atmospheric sciences from Ohio State University (OSU).

He worked as chief meteorologist for WLOS in Asheville, North Carolina, and as weekend meteorologist at WSYX/WTTE in Columbus, Ohio and WKEF/WRGT in Dayton, Ohio. Following that, he started work for The Weather Channel.[1]

Tornado incident

Bettes was one of several storm chasers struck by an EF3 tornado in El Reno, Oklahoma in 2013. The storm rolled and tossed his SUV approximately 200 yards (180 m) into a field. The roof collapsed and his crew suffered major injuries: driver Austin Anderson broke several bones.[2] They were later found by Reed Timmer and his SRV Dominator team, who were storm chasing for Oklahoma City's KFOR-TV when they spotted Bettes' wrecked SUV, and saw The Weather Channel markings on it. They stopped to assist Oklahoma Highway Patrol and other first responders, but had to leave to escape the back end of the storm.

The same tornado killed TWISTEX storm chasers Tim Samaras, his son Paul, and colleague Carl Young. Local resident Richard Charles Henderson was also killed in the same area as the TWISTEX crew after deciding to chase the storm.[3]

Career timeline

Personal life

Bettes is married to Allison Chinchar, a freelance CNN meteorologist.

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Mike Bettes, On-Camera Meteorologist
  2. ↑ Tornado Hunt Team Takes Direct Hit by Tornado Archived 2014-03-15 at the Wayback Machine
  3. ↑ Clay, Nolan (June 3, 2013). "Oklahoma storms: Amateur storm chaser took photo of tornado that killed him". The Oklahoman. Retrieved June 4, 2013.
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