PORTLAND, Ore. (KATU) \u2014 After 32 years on the air at KATU, Storm Tracker 2 Meteorologist Rhonda Shelby announced her retirement this morning.<\/p>\n
Shelby arrived at KATU from sister station KOMO-TV in Seattle, where she was an award-winning reporter. She has won multiple Emmy Awards and was inducted into the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Silver Circle in 2019.<\/p>\n
Shelby began her time at KATU behind the scenes as community relations director before transitioning to weather.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ll miss the people and the rhythm of it all. The newsroom coming to life early \u2014 I won\u2019t miss the 2 a.m. alarm \u2014 the teamwork behind the scenes, it\u2019s a special environment,\u201d Shelby said. \u201cOver the years, coworkers became friends, and viewers became familiar faces in the community. That is what I\u2019ll carry with me.\u201d<\/p>\n
Shelby began forecasting in Portland just before the historic floods of February 1996. She said that event, along with the Labor Day fires of 2020, shaped her career in the Rose City.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Flood of \u201996 happened just as I was starting my career. The widespread nature of the damage was eye-opening. Seeing entire communities impacted made me understand that my role was bigger than delivering a forecast \u2014 it was about helping keep as many people safe as possible. It shaped how I communicated with viewers,\u201d Shelby said. \u201cMore recently, the wildfires of 2020. Being on the evacuation alert spectrum \u2014 knowing the Beachie Creek, Lionshead and Riverside fires were at your friends\u2019 doorsteps \u2014 and wondering if the incredible power of the east wind and fire size would wipe them out. It wasn\u2019t just a story. It was personal.\u201d<\/p>\n
Many people have come and gone during Shelby\u2019s tenure, while a few have remained. In the weather department, 15 meteorologists and weather anchors have been part of her time at KATU News.<\/p>\n
“For 19 years, I\u2019ve had the extraordinary privilege of working alongside Rhonda Shelby. 11 of those years we\u2019ve spent together on the morning show (2007-2008 and 2015-present), waking up in the dark, navigating breaking news, weather chaos, technical hiccups, and everything in between. When you sit next to someone for that many hours, that many years, you really know them. You know how they think. You know how they lead. You know who they are when the pressure is on. There are a lot of talented people in this business. There are far fewer who combine talent with integrity, loyalty, and heart the way Rhonda does,” Angelica Thornton said. “Nineteen years later, I can say this with absolute certainty. I am better at what I do, and better as a person, because I have worked beside her. And I love her.”<\/p>\n
\u201cRhonda is a true joy to work with. I know of few people who are more dedicated to her craft,\u201d Storm Tracker 2 Meteorologist Dave Salesky said. \u201cShe\u2019s not just an exceptional meteorologist; she\u2019s also an exceptional mother and friend. Filling her shoes will be a difficult task.\u201d<\/p>\n
Recently retired KATU anchor Steve Dunn said Shelby is one of the best in the business. \u201cI knew she wouldn\u2019t be able to stand not working without me,\u201d he said. \u201cSeriously though, there are only so many people who fit into the \u2018legend\u2019 category, and Rhonda Shelby is one of them. Kind, compassionate, smart and steady as a rock. Oh, did I mention she\u2019s a great meteorologist? She\u2019ll be missed for her ability to deliver the weather forecast, but also for the personality she brings to the screen daily. Rhonda is simply the best. Congrats to her!\u201d<\/p>\n
Hannah Olsen, host of KATU\u2019s \u201cAfternoon Live,\u201d shared a desk with Shelby for nearly a decade. \u201cSitting at a desk right next to Rhonda Shelby for the better part of eight years is one of the greatest blessings of my career. People often ask me, \u2018Is Rhonda as nice as she seems on TV?\u2019 I usually reply with some version of, \u2018She is absolutely one of my favorite people on the planet.\u2019 I think they get the picture,\u201d Olsen said. \u201cRhonda is everything you think she is, and more. She keeps her cool in all the beautiful chaos live TV can bring, shows grace to everyone who crosses her path and happens to be one of the hardest workers in the newsroom. She is one of one and will be deeply missed at KATU.\u201d<\/p>\n
Shelby said she will miss working in the news business and the craziness that comes with it.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe adrenaline rush of breaking news coverage and watching two decades of wonderful people do their jobs so well \u2014 anchor teams, production crews, bosses who woke up early to watch our show and cheer us on, producers over the years who had to rein us in when we went \u2018off the rails\u2019! You have to be a little crazy and adventurous to sign up for early mornings. When it comes to morning weather teams, what you see on TV is who we are. It\u2019s no act.\u201d<\/p>\n
Shelby received a certificate in broadcast meteorology from Mississippi State University. In addition to being a proud Bulldog, she is also an alumna of Brigham Young University.<\/p>\n
\u201cI will always be grateful for the incredible mentorship and support of legendary meteorologists and friends like Jim Bosley, KOMO\u2019s Steve Pool and dear friend Rob Marciano, who I admire greatly.\u201d<\/p>\n
Shelby said she has seen the field of meteorology change immensely since she began forecasting.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe could not imagine instant weather updates to this extent on our phones. Home computers were just being rolled out. The technology has changed dramatically. Forecast models are more sophisticated, and the graphics we use to explain weather are, too. But the core of what we do hasn\u2019t changed \u2014 people still want clarity, calm and someone they trust when dangerous or severe weather impacts their lives.\u201d<\/p>\n
Shelby added she has also seen change in the broadcast industry.<\/p>\n
\u201cMany more women and minorities are entering the field than when I started.\u201d<\/p>\n
What will she do in retirement?<\/p>\n
Outside the station, Shelby is married and has a daughter who plays college volleyball. She has launched a business catering to the volleyball community called “On Trend Curators Company<\/a>” and writes a blog called “On Trend Volleyball Mom<\/a>,” focused on being a volleyball mom.<\/p>\n When asked what she plans to do in retirement, sleep tops the list.<\/p>\n \u201cSleeping in will be my first priority. Travel and support my husband after years of adjusting his schedule around mine. I will continue to run my blog for volleyball moms and watch a lot of college volleyball \u2014 courtesy of my daughter\u2019s career.\u201d<\/p>\n There will be plenty of opportunities to say goodbye to one of Portland\u2019s most beloved meteorologists. Shelby\u2019s last day at KATU will be in early May.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"PORTLAND, Ore. (KATU) \u2014 After 32 years on the air at KATU, Storm Tracker 2 Meteorologist Rhonda Shelby…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":499700,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[47],"tags":[192,79],"class_list":["post-499699","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-environment","tag-environment","tag-science"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/499699","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=499699"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/499699\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/499700"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=499699"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=499699"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=499699"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}