Weather Channel meteorologist Jim Cantore said he’s coming to Florida − and a special guest let the cat out of the bag as to where he’ll land.
For Floridians, that likely drums up excitement, nervousness and (sorry, Jim) borderline mean responses.
Cantore tweeted the news himself Sunday night, the day Idalia officially formed as a tropical storm after swirling out in the Caribbean as Tropical Depression Ten: “Since so many of you are asking I will address this with a tweet. Yes I am going to Florida. I am still sorting out details with TWC (the Weather Channel), but I wanted to get the newest data before making a decision. I am going to be on air Monday morning from 6 to 9 a.m. on @AMHQ then traveling with my producer @StevePetyerak and our team to Florida by early afternoon. By then a location and back up will be determined. Thanks again for asking.”
Since his announcement on Twitter, the memes, jokes, prayers and countless tweets of “where is Jim Cantore?” flooded social media with many speculating different cities in Florida.
Interestingly, the answer to “where in the world is Jim Cantore?” came from a celebrity friend.
Ken Block of the band Sister Hazel (“All for You”) posted a Facebook update Monday afternoon and a “twinning” photo with Cantore. Sister Hazel has more than 88,000 fans on Facebook and “checked in” at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. Here’s the Facebook post message: “So – when your old buddy (And legend) Jim Cantore from THE WEATHER CHANNEL is flying into Gainesville with you today (headed to nearby Cedar Key) – it might not be a good sign for things to come weather wise… But – Let’s hope he brings some good luck to the nice folks here in North Florida!
“Funny story. In around 1995 we (Sister Hazel) were in Atlanta for a club show – traveling in our 1983 Chevy van and trailer. This was pre-record deal …. We were in a Kroger grocery store parking lot when I noticed Jim walking into the store. I QUICKLY grabbed a copy of our 1st record – jumped out of the van – and ran it over to him. I told him I loved his work and that we were a band out of Gainesville FL – and that one day he’d be hearing us on the radio! He was very gracious – took it – and said he couldn’t wait to give it a listen.
“A couple of years later, we were playing at the Hootie and the blowfish Monday after the masters, Pro-Am golf tournament. This time Jim came up to me, and said “Hey Man!! Remember giving me your CD in the parking lot of that grocery store!? You were right, you guys made it!” And he was genuinely super happy for us! It was a very cool full circle moment …
“Always love seeing him over the years. And really appreciate the work he does to keep us all informed and safe! – KB
jimcantore #theweatherchannel @jimcantore #Hurricane #twinning”
The longtime Weather Channel meteorologist has become synonymous with Florida hurricane coverage − though he has gone viral with his coverage of “thundersnow” and other inclement weather situations. TV viewers recognize Cantore as an “on the ground” reporter responding to weather disasters rather than a traditional TV news meteorologist standing in front of a green screen and giving a daily weather forecast.
Cantore’s headed to the Sunshine State to cover Tropical Storm Idalia, which is expected to become a Category 3 hurricane before making landfall along Florida’s Gulf Coast on Wednesday.
Weather Channel star Jim Cantore in Cedar Key, Florida
Interest about the celebrity meteorologist’s whereabouts in Florida continue to flood social media. Cantore was trending for much of Monday on Twitter. The Facebook post by Ken Block of Sister Hazel had thousands of shares as of Monday night.
A Twitter user whose handle is Lt. Col. William Reid tweeted a photo from a Cedar Key restaurant, presumably Steamers: “Ran into the Jim Cantore while having dinner.”
Photos of the restaurant’s page on Facebook show a “dollar bill wall,” similar to the dollar bill wall in Reid’s tweet.
Where is Jim Cantore, Weather Channel team in Florida on Tuesday, Aug. 29?
After dinner Monday night at Steamers in Cedar Key, Florida, Jim Cantore, his producer Steve Petyerak and the Weather Channel team were out early Tuesday for Hurricane Idalia coverage.
Another celebrity weather expert was spotted Tuesday in Cedar Key: Reed Timmer of Accuweather fame.
Just for fun: A Florida meteorologist meme
Jim Cantore of the Weather Channel is a meme. Here’s another hurricane-meteorologist tweet to ease the stress of an impending storm featuring Central Florida meteorologist Tom Terry of WFTV.
Sangalang is a lead digital producer for USA TODAY Network-Florida. Follow her on Twitter or Instagram at @byjensangalang. Support local journalism. Consider subscribing to a Florida newspaper.