Mount Pleasant Magazine July/August 2017

feature

BY KALENE MCCORT

Rain

Shine

here is beauty in the storm. The way the cloud

colors morph from light gray to harsh black,

over electric green marsh grass. Slug-sized

raindrops hit the ground with force, as strong

gusts send leaves dancing across slick pavement. The

crackle of thunder and the way lightning touches down to

illuminate the sky can make even grown men cower with

its abrupt intensity.

While these natural wonders sometimes send our pets

running for cover and interrupt our beach plans, they

provide a balance nonetheless. Two men dedicated to

tracking the Lowcountry’s weather patterns and making

sure we know when to leave the house with umbrella in

tow are meteorologists Rob Fowler and Bill Walsh. Their

careers have been filled with hurricanes, floods, tornadoes

and plenty of sunshine. We chatted with the two about

industry accolades, the upcoming hurricane season and

what they love most about reporting on heat waves,

typhoons and everything in between.

Rob Fowler is the chief meteorologist at Channel 2.

His curiosity about weather was sparked early. At the age

of 5, he found himself in New Orleans in the midst of

1965’s Hurricane Betsy, where intense flooding forced

his family to flee to his grandparents’ home. While most

children would be frightened by howling winds and

sandbagged streets, Fowler found himself riding a wave of

excitement – eager to see what would happen next.

“My grandparents gave me a job that night and that

A ChatWith LocalWeathermen