Hello! Weather intern Brendan Pham here. The final ropes of my internship have been dropped. My 3-week recap is detailed below!

Day 19: First time coming in on a weekend, but my task at hand was going to be a challenge. I had just under two hours to prepare Chief Meteorologist Jeff Edmondson’s first and main weather hits. Having to forecast, build, and order all the graphics from scratch is very time consuming. It’s still fun, but very tough.

Day 20: Practiced on the big weather wall, but Meteorologist Steve Fundaro gave me sound cues in the production booth. It was pretty tough to nail down the timing, especially during the first weather segment, but I got used to it pretty quick.

Day 21: Intern show day! I teamed up with Alexa Bonilla to go through our own version of a shortened newscast. I got pretty nervous going into the show cold, but I was able to work through any issues I had and catch my pacing later in the weather segment. Overall, a very good pass!

Day 22: More taping! Jeff and I recorded a mock weather segment where he, as an anchor, tossed to me so I could practice some walk-and-talking. Pacing is still my biggest issue, and I trip up on my own words and phrases when I go too fast. When I went slower though, it made a huge difference.

Day 23: After much taping, I started to get my reel together on Adobe Premiere Pro. The order I put my segments in is very important as I have to hook the news director within the first few seconds to keep them watching. I also dipped my feet in recreating some tropical graphics from scratch!

Day 24: Coming in at 5 AM on Sunday… yes Sunday! I worked with Meteorologist Ricky Matthews to practice with live radar and tropical weather for my reel. It gives more variety when I cut the individual clips out.

Day 25: Another early day! Came in at 5:30 and worked with Meteorologist Jeremy Wheeler. I gained quite a bit of knowledge on the different model acronyms and how the individual models behave the way they do. I also updated the forecast that is seen on the WAVY Weather App and on the website! Finally, I practiced with the tropical graphics once again.

Day 26: Severe weather… This is a whole different beast. I come in around 2 PM to see Steve and Ricky on air with 3 separate tornado warnings. I was able to help drive Steve’s radar while he was live on the weather wall — something I had never really done before. Our coverage continued for about 3 continuous hours afterwards before activity finally subsided. I greatly appreciate what the whole weather team does to make sure nobody is missed during 24/7 severe weather coverage.

Day 27: Early day #3 for the week! I quite honestly don’t mind coming in early. I am an early bird after all, but I decided to come in to help out Ricky during the AM hours with severe weather. I got another chance to work the radar while Ricky was on-air.

Day 28: I spent Tuesday evening with Chief Meteorologist Jeff Edmondson in the weather center doing so many different interactive activities. We did a social media video together, did some more taping with a new graphic I featured live at on WAVY News at 10PM, and jammed out to some chill music in between the evening shows. This was the only full evening I spent with Jeff, but I loved every minute of it.

Day 29: 2nd to last day… Very relaxed, lots of housekeeping stuff. Talked about Hurricane Ernesto and its associated swell with Steve and Jeff and how to code tide data with Ricky. I also finalized my weather reel for my final project. As the week winds down, I stay inclined to continue helping out the weather team wherever they need me.

Day 30: The finale and recap. It was a bittersweet sorrow for me to leave the WAVY weather team, but I’ve enjoyed every single moment with them. They’ve taught me so much, it actually bewilders me how much I’ve been able to retain. Outside of work, I’ve also made bonding moments with the team. Being able to catch a few waves with Jeff before and after work was absolutely amazing. I’ve practically been outside of the station with every team member on some special occasion as a bonding experience. All in all, I will miss this team and the rest of the faculty here at WAVY, but I am so thankful for the numerous experiences I’ve been able to have during my 3 months here.

Now, I final forecast discussion…

Forecast Discussion

Beautiful conditions and low humidity continue through today. Sunny conditions will persist throughout much of the region with a few clouds during the afternoon.

Rain chances begin to increase heading into the weekend as a cool front approaches our region and begins to stall out nearby.

It won’t be a total washout through the weekend, but expect clouds and some showers especially around midday Saturday and Sunday.

Aside from the weather, the rip current risk will be high for beachgoers from today through early next week because of Hurricane Ernesto. Ernesto will continue to churn in the Atlantic Ocean and send 2-4ft+ waves towards Virginia Beach and 4-6ft+ for the Outer Banks.