Gary England, beloved CBS meteorologist who appeared in Twister, dies aged 85
'We are heartbroken to announce that our beloved Gary England passed this evening,' his family said in a statement to local CBS affiliate KWTV News 9, where he worked for 41 years.
'Gary passed peacefully on the evening of June 10th, surrounded by his loved ones, including his wife of 63 years, Mary, and his loving daughter, Molly. Gary was proud to have protected Oklahoma from its deadliest storms. He will be deeply and forever missed.'
Born in Seiling, Oklahoma, in 1939, England completely changed the way severe weather was covered across the United States and internationally. He made history in 1981 when he became the first person to use Enterprise Electronics' Doppler radar for direct warnings to the public.
But his innovative ways didn't stop there.
In 1990, England developed an automated severe weather warning system known as First Warning. The system showed warning maps in the corner of the TV screen for viewers to track serious storms.
The next year, he created StormTracker, a system that projected the path of storms as well as their time of arrival. That system is now used nationwide.
A 2013 Oklahoma Hall of Fame inductee, England wrote four books, including an autobiography titled Weathering The Storm, and had a fifth written about his life and work. In addition to appearing in over 50 national and international severe weather programs, England was also in the opening scene of the 1996 Steven Spielberg film Twister as a meteorologist.
Longtime News 9 viewers have been heartbroken to learn of England's passing.
'RIP king. I remember as a child with pretty bad Tornado anxiety in OK, it always made me feel better know Gary was on watch. What a legend,' one viewer wrote on X.
'Truly the greatest. nothing else made me feel safe during a tornado than his voice!' someone else wrote.
'The world genuinely owes him a debt of gratitude for how he advanced weather science & tech. the lives he's responsible for saving are countless. godspeed good sir,' another shared.
Someone else said: 'A true pioneer and legend. He somehow always had a way of making you feel safe even in the most treacherous of storm conditions. RIP to a true legend and weather pioneer.'
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