Ed Bloodsworth, WKRG Chief Meteorologist

I recently enjoyed meeting and getting to know Ed Bloodsworth, Chief Meteorologist at WKRG in Mobile. He’s such a likable guy and a man of many talents. It’s not often you meet someone who knew exactly what he wanted to do in life at seven years old.  

Ed tells me how he first became fascinated with the weather. At an early age, he played Little League baseball. He was in right field, staring up into the sky as some really nasty clouds began rolling in. I asked the coach, “What is that dark cone coming out of the sky?" He said, “That means we are not playing baseball today.”

As a tornado emerged from the clouds, all the other kids in the dugout were scared, but Ed thought it was the coolest thing he had ever seen. The tornado touched down about two miles from the ballpark, and Ed was hooked on the weather.

Ed believes in fate, and fate has been good to Ed. He grew up in Tampa, Florida, and attended Florida State University. In his final semester, with a degree in meteorology almost in hand, he received an offer to intern at the local television station, WTXL. “I was there for six months and got my feet wet early,” he says.

After graduating in 2009, he wanted to do something adventurous and applied for a meteorologist / multimedia journalist position at a station in Topeka, Kansas. “They actually have winter there.” So much so that when he arrived, Topeka had its first snow in early December and snow was on the ground until late April. “In Spring 2010, we were chasing tornadoes with snow on the ground. That was a new experience for me.”

Wherever his career takes him, Ed feels it is important to become a local. In Kansas, he made it a point to visit every county seat to meet the people and learn how to correctly pronounce the names of all the towns. “Most of the time, when you are explaining what’s happening weatherwise, it’s because the weather is bad. You don’t want to mess up the name of a town, people will let you know boisterously!”

Ed loved his two years in Topeka. The owners decided to sell the station, and the new owners eliminated his job. “Television is all about timing. When does the right job come along at the right time in your life to make a move?” 

As a multimedia journalist and meteorologist, Ed describes the position as “a one-man band.” “You do it all by yourself.” At the time, one-man bands began to flourish on local TV stations. Now, almost everyone has to do it by themselves. 

He goes on, “My last three jobs I never applied for. The day after I lost my position at the Topeka station, out of the blue, I got a call from a station in Augusta, Georgia. As luck would have it, they had a position available for a morning meteorologist. I accepted immediately.”

Ed worked in Augusta from 2011 until 2016. He says he was not much of a golf fan but soon became one. “I’ve been to Augusta National several times and it’s every bit as beautiful as you’ve seen on TV, if not more so.” He was there when Bubba Watson made that incredible shot to win his first Master’s Championship.

“Augusta was wonderful to me. You are two hours from everything; the beach, hiking in the Southern Appalachian mountains, Atlanta, Charlotte, and Savannah. But there was no easy way to get back home to Tampa.” In 2016, a position opened at the television station he watched growing up in Tampa, WFLA.  

“This was my dream job. It was unbelievable working with all these people I had known and watched all my life. I worked for the Chief Meteorologist I had interned with in college, where I made my first impression.”

Ed’s time in Tampa was bittersweet. He loved his job, but his mom was diagnosed with lung cancer in 2016, which was another reason he accepted the Tampa position. She finished chemo and surgery and was clear for two years before the cancer returned to her brain. She passed away at age 61 in December 2018. 

“I was fortunate to be with my mom and help out the last couple of years of her life. She raised my brother and me as a single parent and she made sure we had more opportunities growing up than she had. My time in Tampa was great but also a trying time in my life.” 

As fate would have it, WKRG in Mobile and WFLA in Tampa are sister stations owned by the same company. Ed wasn’t looking to leave Tampa, but the news director in Tampa asked Ed if he would be interested in the Chief Meteorologist position in Mobile. It was a big position, he interviewed and felt it went well, and the offer was made for Ed to move to WKRG in Mobile.

“After everything was settled with Mom, I felt it was time to start something new, and Mom would have wanted me to advance my career.” He moved to Mobile in 2019. “It was a bit daunting,” he says. “The standard of weather forecasting in this market is high. This was the first time I would be leading a group.” He decided he needed to develop his own style and learn how to be a good manager for the team. 

“I count my blessings every day that I’m surrounded by this team of incredible meteorologists. I think the world of John Nodar, and we have a talented team of young meteorologists that are all focused and team-oriented.” The Tampa Chief Meteorologist told Ed he always believed that the team that gets along and are good people will find success. “It’s not their weather knowledge, it’s their character,” he told him.

What are some of the things we may not know about you? I asked. “I’ve been bowling all my life. Mom started taking my cousin and me bowling when we were 7 or 8 years old.” His cousin, James, his uncle, his mom, and Ed joined a family bowling league. “She saw that we were getting pretty good, so we joined a youth bowling league. I kept it up and was on the Collegiate Bowling Team at Florida State.”

He has bowled competitively and traveled to big national tournaments in Las Vegas where every casino has a bowling alley. “I’ve found a lot of joy and made a tremendous network of friends through bowling.” He’s picked up a 7-10 split twice and has rolled 13 perfect 300 games in competitions.

“One of the reasons I like this area so much is the rich history. My great great great grandfather, Braxton Bragg, was a Confederate General and is buried in Magnolia Cemetery here in Mobile. My grandmother was a big Civil War history buff, and I picked up on it. My dad is African American, and a descendant of slaves, so Africatown history speaks to me. It’s incredible!”

Black history is also Ed’s history, so he feels like he has a hidden connection to this area. “The history of the city is fascinating. The different countries that laid claim to Mobile make this city more interesting. I firmly believe that to know a place truly, you have to know its history.”

Something most people don’t know about Ed is his experience in the cultural arts throughout his life. He’s performed in over thirty musicals, plays the French Horn, loves classical music, and attends the Mobile Symphony Orchestra whenever he can. Ed also sings opera and in 2010 performed in the World Premier Opera of Sacco and Vanzetti in Tampa conducted by the late Anton Coppola, Francis Ford Coppola’s uncle.

“Your experience and exposure to arts and culture improve every aspect of your life. It results in better grades in school and builds a wide range of interests,” he told me. Ed said he enjoys the area’s dining and specialty food shops. “The Bienville Bites Food Tour was a ton of fun!” 

Ed is certainly a man of many talents and accomplishments. He has embraced the Scenic 98 Coastal lifestyle with great enthusiasm. We appreciate everything he has brought to enhance not only the weather team at WKRG but also his love for the area and all it has to offer.

Thanks, Ed. It was truly a pleasure getting to know you!