“You’re like, ‘No this is not happen-
Rob Fowler has been a
meteorologist with WCBD since 1987.
ing,’” Fowler recalled with a laugh. Up until just a few hours before landfall, models still forecasted that Hugo would turn toward Myrtle Beach. Instead, it left the Atlantic Ocean and roared ashore near Mount Pleasant. “I’ve never been through anything like that before professionally, and I hope to never go through that again,” Fowler said in a serious tone. He recalled broadcasting from
National Weather Service headquar- ters during the night of Hugo. Windows bowed and part of the building gave way. Winds grew too strong for the live truck masts. Staff members at WCBD’s tower in Awendaw wound up at Hugo’s “ground zero.” Part of WCBD’s roof ripped off, and satellite dishes were crushed by the howling winds. Still, WCBD remained on the air, offering viewers crucial information. “We got a lot of letters from people who evacuated from Charles- ton but could watch from Beaufort or Walterboro,” Fowler said. His coverage of the devastating hurricane earned him Broadcaster of the Year honors from the National Weather Association. Fowler takes his public role in stride, and he tries his best not to take criticism personally. “You can’t let everything get you
arts degree from Georgia Southern University, then a master’s in broadcast meteorology from Mississippi State University. After TV positions in Savannah and Green Bay, Fowler moved to the Charleston area. He maintained that mid-August through mid-September can be a tricky time for predicting weather in the Lowcountry. “Tere have been so many close calls,” Fowler noted.
“Tere are always two or three days where we’re on pins and needles wondering if it’s going to turn.” For Fowler, that was the scenario in 1989, in the days
before Hugo made landfall. He explained that computer models were not as accurate as they are today; he had to physically plot latitude and longitude. It wasn’t long before he realized Charleston was in grave danger.
14
down,” Fowler said. “Te weather is something we’re never going to pin down. It’s not an exact science.” He recalled a time when his little girl helped put things into perspective. Fowler had predicted a rainy day that turned out sunny. A man approached Fowler and 5-year- old Kylie at a mall, angry that he was shopping with his wife instead of tinkering in his garden. “Sir, God makes the weather,” Fowler recalled Kylie saying. “My daddy just tells people about it.” Kylie is now in her 20s. Fowler and his wife of 25
years, Cara, also have two sons, Trey and Tate. “I couldn’t imagine doing anything else or doing it
anywhere else,” said Fowler. “Te best thing about my job is that it changes every day, unless it’s July, when it’s hot, hazy and humid every afternoon.”
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