Rich Wirdzek

Hey Delmarva!

I’m Rich Wirdzek, 47ABC’s Chief Meteorologist.

A native Marylander, I grew up in Rockville and graduated from Rockville High School and Montgomery College. I visited the Eastern Shore often since it was always just a quick trip across the Bay Bridge to Delmarva!

The weather has been a passion of mine since my earliest childhood memories. By the time I reached High School I knew that I wanted to become a Meteorologist. Eventually, I received my Bachelor’s Degree in Operational and Broadcast Meteorology from California University of Pennsylvania. After interning at KDKA-TV in Pittsburgh, I was fortunate enough to land my first job as a part-time Meteorologist for HSTV in Uniontown while still in my last semester of college.

Most of my career on the broadcast side of meteorology has been in active severe weather areas of the country, first at WCBI-TV in Columbus, MS and then for several years at WHIO-TV in Dayton, OH. My time in the Midwest and Deep South provided me with invaluable experience forecasting and tracking severe weather, including tornadoes, hurricanes, derechos and all types of winter weather. I’ve had the honor of winning several AP and Emmy Awards for my work and was awarded the TV Seal of Approval from the American Meteorological Society.

Feel free to share your weather photos, videos or storm reports with me on Facebook or Twitter (links are under my name above) or you can send me an email to Rich_Wirdzek@WMDT.com