Patrick McKee has joined the WFXR team as their new chief meteorologist.
Courtesy of Patrick McKee
Over the last 17 years, Patrick McKee has played a crucial role in keeping the community informed about important news and weather happenings in the region. After a brief hiatus, he’s returning to the big screen, this time as WFXR’s chief meteorologist.
McKee’s interest in weather first began after he saw the destruction Hurricane Hugo caused to the southeast and Mid-Atlantic in 1989. “As a child, I was scared of storms,” he says. “The more I learned about them, the [more] scared I was. That’s when I decided to pursue meteorology as a career.”
Patrick started out at a station in Oklahoma, where he tracked windstorms, tornadoes and extreme drought for four years before moving to the Roanoke Valley. The variety of weather conditions in this area was a welcome change for him. “I love the fact that Virginia has all four seasons and the forecast challenges that come with all of them.”
Several years into his career, McKee left his weather roots behind to serve as a news anchor. Most recently, he stepped away from local TV completely to become the Marketing and Communications Coordinator for the School of Plant and Environmental Sciences at Virginia Tech.
But through it all, McKee couldn’t shake his passion for weather. “I missed getting to talk about sunny days, storms and winter weather,” he says. “I am thrilled to get to do that again.
“I’m also excited to work with the fantastic team here at WFXR. The television industry is small. I have worked with several people at different stations in the past, so it is great to get to work with them again.”
Ben Oldham, the station’s vice president and general manager, says McKee is a wonderful addition to the WFXR Pinpoint Weather crew, as he knows the Roanoke-Lynchburg market extremely well and has already established himself as a trusted household name in our region.
McKee’s connection to the community goes beyond his TV presence. He’s worked with several non-profit organizations in the area, and while he’s always been amazed by the generosity and kindness of others, those who know him greatly admire him for having these same qualities.
“What you see from Patrick on TV is what you get when you meet him,” says News Director Josh Good. “He is a genuinely great guy, and I can’t wait for our viewers to meet him at community events and count on him and the team when severe weather impacts our viewers.”
Don’t miss McKee’s first weather segment with WFXR, which airs tonight, August 4, at 10 p.m. From then on out, you can catch him from 6-10 p.m. during the station's night newscasts.