Weather loses long-time forecaster John Hope

Weather.com ^ | 06/13/2002 | Julie Galle

[Uff Da]

As soon as I read about John Hope, I turned to the Weather Channel and got in on their wonderful tribute to this outstanding person........He will be missed..........

[jigsaw]

What a wonderful tribute to a wonderful man.
May God continue to bless you, John Hope.

[fieldmarshaldj]

RIP.

[MasonGal]

I just caught the tribute to him on the Weather Channel, too - I really liked him. He will be missed.

I am a Weather Channel addict, BTW!! My family thinks I'm nuts but when they want to know the forecast, they ask me. :)

[Catspaw]

I missed Hope when he retired....and we're Weather Channel junkies, too. Most, if not all, sailors are.

[Soul Citizen]

He was very inspiring

[Mo1]

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[jra]

Still doing stellar on-air work in his 80's???

He was a good 'un indeed

[TrappedInLiberalHell]

Epitaph: His life was clear, sunny, and temperate, but the forecast for today: Cloudy and cold, with showers.

[topher]

Sadly, John has been suffering for 9 weeks in intensive care unit.

His wife Bernice has had some medical problems last year.

I plan on attending the funeral, as it is located at my church, and he was member of a group at the church I belong to.

He will be missed, but at least I will have a chance to see Bernice, who I have not seen for a while because she has been ill.

[topher]

An interesting John Hope story:

The senior military officer that was captured by the Iranians when the US Embassy was overrun in 1979 was giving a talk at our church (I believe this is retired Colonel Charles Scott who wrote Pieces of the Game. After Colonel Scott's talk, there was a question and answer session.

John Hope got up when he asked his question (this was asked of each of the questioners). After answering the question, the retired Colonel said: "you look familiar!?!!" To which John Hope responded that was a weatherman on the Weather Chanel. There was a hearty life by the crowd.

It was also entertaining to be around John and Bernice...

[varina davis]

John Hope, a gentleman and a scholar. He will be missed by all of us who relied on him to report tropical weather in a measured, scientific and unbiased manner. One could count on what Mr. Hope had to say.

[Libloather]

I remember him helping out the right coast many times. He was good...

[blam]

God bless John, he will be missed.

[Spook86]

Hope will indeed, be missed. Along with Dr. Neil Frank, Bob Sheets, and handful of others, John Hope pioneered modern hurricane forecasting. His dedication, insight, and innovation saved literally thousands of American lives.

BTW, John Hope also helped save the Weather Channel, in his own way. After John Coleman (remember him?)was forced out as Chief Operating Officer, the channel drifted, losing money. Programming was inconsistent; some of the On-Camera Meterologists were more interested in cracking jokes than delivering an accurate forecast. But through it all, Hope maintained his quiet dignity and composure. Eventually, his more serious approach won out; The Weather Channel finally came into its own in 1989 with coverage of Hurrican Hugo, and Hope's analysis and expertise gave the broadcast authority and context.

John Hope is impossible to replace, but I wonder if TWC would consider hiring another hurricane forecasting "legend," Nash Roberts of WWL-TV in New Orleans. Nash (whom I assume hasn't moved to that big forecast center in the sky) has been following hurricanes for more than 50 years and he's a legend in the Gulf South. The last I heard, WWL still had him on the payroll as a "hurricane analyst." When he appears on Channel 4, their ratings go through the roof, despite that Nash's graphics consist entirely of hand drawings on butcher paper. The Weather Channel's ratings have been flat of late...I'd give Nash a shot.

[anniegetyourgun]

Give the family our best. It is a loss, yet he is far better off than we are.

[kayak]

Prayers for the family and especially for his wife.

From his demeanor on TWC John seemed to be such a gentleman in every sense of the word. I respected and admired him greatly. He will be missed.

[callisto]

Thanks for the ping, kayak. I hadn't heard about John's passing. Having spent most of the 80s and 90s in Florida, I've feel like I've known him forever. Prayers for his family and may he rest in peace.