12-02-2025
Jym Ganahl, longtime Ohio meteorologist, dies at 76
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Jym Ganahl, a longtime TV meteorologist at Ohio's ABC6 station WSYX, has died. He was 76 years old.
Ganahl died Feb. 3 of natural causes, according to his family. His death was announced Tuesday.
Known for his folksy weather forecasting, Ganahl retired from WSYX (ABC6) in May after nearly 60 years of providing weather forecasts to central Ohio. He began his career in Iowa but worked on-air at WCMH-TV (NBC4) from 1979 to 2016 where he served as chief meteorologist.
At age 17, five years after he started studying weather, Ganahl marched into the KWWL-TV studio in Waterloo, Iowa, to tell the station manager that he could deliver a more accurate forecast than its weatherman was providing. He got the job and was later hired by NBC4. During his time at NBC4, he covered the infamous blizzard of 1978.
He stayed at NBC4 for 37 years until briefly retiring in 2016. Growing quicky bored, he returned to broadcast, this time at WSYX (ABC6).
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Ganahl graduated from the University of Northern Iowa in 1970. After graduating, he served in the U.S. Army and won several awards, including the Spirit and Honor Medal and the No. 1 Marksman award. He worked in flight operations with a National Guard helicopter unit, according to his biography published on the university's website.
A man of many interests, Ganahl also dabbled in local live theater and taught science to middle school students for three years, all while continuing his nighttime duties as a meteorologist. He also taught science for a gifted student program at Ohio Wesleyan University.
"I would tell everyone, make sure you do something that you like. Every day will be fun," Ganahl told the UNI interviewer.
"Money has to not matter at all. It's the only way you can (have a career like his" and have a happy life. You can't contradict or fight it. And make sure you're not one-dimensional."
