When a big storm was expected in the Pittsburgh area last winter, one meteorologist did something rather unusual.
“You know when it snows how everyone goes out and gets milk and toilet paper? I sat out in the parking lot at Giant Eagle and was talking to people on their way in and way out.
“It was a Friday, and it was just a fun thing. I can do that now.”
Yes, Jeff Verszyla can do that now.
Verszyla used to be chief meteorologist at KDKA-TV. He was let go last December for reasons neither he nor the station have disclosed. He cannot work in the local market due to his noncompete clause; that period is up in January.
He’s still forecasting the weather, however. Each weekday, usually at 7 a.m. and 3 p.m., Verszyla consults many of the same weather prediction models he used on newscasts and delivers his Facebook Live reports on a series of whiteboards.
Low-tech, sure. But also entertaining, and, according to his slogan, “simply accurate.” Bonus: The dry-erase marker colors are really lovely.
Last Friday morning, he trotted out to his Pine backyard patio wearing an Allegheny College shirt and hat in honor of “wear your alma mater colors” day. Propping the whiteboard next to a football (Friday night high school games demand a specific weather shoutout) and a planter of pink begonias, Verszyla talked about the history of Labor Day (thanks, Grover Cleveland), famous birthdays, the Pirates and of course, the weather.
As he talked, viewers’ comments appeared in real time down the right side of the screen. He might answer questions during the broadcast, but usually Verszyla waits until after he’s finished.
“I love that personal connection,” he said.
Later that afternoon, he spent about five minutes talking about tree pollen, the sundown at 7:56 p.m. and National Toasted Marshmallow Day before swinging into the forecast. He makes fun fact videos, as well, such as why the term “blenky” (to snow very lightly) was once used in forecasting but no more.
Now that Verszyla is doing his “WhiteBoard Weather,” he has time to talk about these things, too.
This being Labor Day weekend Friday, he planned to take a three-day look at the weather. There was also Hurricane Dorian to consider. Dorian was only a Category 2 that afternoon, but would gain strength by Monday.
This prompted Verszyla to post on his WhiteBoard Weather Facebook page: “Allow me to save you the drama… before someone tries to suggest or ‘tease’ you to watch [TV] using the phrase ‘Will Dorian impact Pittsburgh?’
“The answer is NO… thanks and carry on.”
This was punctuated by thumbs-up and smiley face emojis.
“I have a really core, loyal group of people who support what I am doing, and it continues to grow as well,” said Verszyla. He estimates WhiteBoard Weather has roughly 23,000 followers on Facebook and Twitter, with another 3,000-4,000 on Instagram.
There are a few modest corporate sponsors. Among them: Giant Eagle’s WetGo, which provides a free car wash coupon giveaway following each morning’s “Wake Up” forecasts. Chick fil-A is a sponsor on high school football Fridays, and an insurance agency is a sponsor for the site’s online photo galleries.
Verszyla collaborates with two partners on this venture. Their contributions include running the PittsburghWeatherNow website, where the forecast videos are posted amid other online features, and business management.
The online merchandise shop sells “Best in the Burgh” T-shirts in a variety of colors. They refer to Verszyla winning the Pittsburgh Magazine 2019 readers poll.
“This is where the magic happens,” he said last week. Dressed in a gray T-shirt, shorts, black flip-flops and sporting cultivated stubble, Verszyla walked into his oak-paneled home study.
A number of whiteboards were in evidence, including a specially made version on wheels. Verszyla said he preps on his laptop about an hour before the afternoon forecast, then carefully copies the highlights onto the whiteboard.
“That’s been the one byproduct: I have gotten really good at printing,” he said.
The board was sectioned into rectangles of varying colors. “TONIGHT 58 degrees, partly cloudy, comfy” was in blue. The next six forecasts were printed in pink, gray, purple, orange, teal and green. There was a sunrise/sunset section and an update on Dorian.
Verszyla said he doesn’t pretend to do more than simply relay hurricane information from the experts: “They get all the access to hurricane hunter information… I read their discussions, then interpret it from there. They are beyond my pay grade.”
He does send push notifications about local weather emergencies via social media, however.
While WhiteBoard Weather is not an 8-hour-a-day job, per se, he said it is work. “It isn’t some fly-by-night hobby. I put the effort in, the same effort I put in while I was at the station.”
He’s not making a ton of money but said he recognizes certain commercial benefits to creating a brand. There’s the possibility WhiteBoard Weather might become an app as well, with more specialized forecasts for, say, golfers.
In the meantime, Verszyla seems to be having fun. On one Facebook Live video, he and Tje Clarks member Scott Blasey went to North Park, where the latter sang some songs and did the weather, too.
There’s even a theme song, from Good Brother Earl.
Baked-in whimsy, as well as unpredictability, is part of the WhiteBoard charm. There have been times when Verszyla’s wife, Shelly, needs to work in the study, so she gets on camera. Their two sons, on occasion, make an appearance.
“That’s the realness of the occasion,” he said. “The phone has rung in the middle of it, the doorbell rang. I think people enjoy that aspect.”
Maria Sciullo: msciullo@post-gazette.com or @MariaSciulloPG.
Updated Sept. 3, 2019. Correction: Scott Blasey is a member of the Clarks. An earlier version said he was in a different group.
First Published: September 3, 2019, 3:38 p.m.
