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Gary England, Pioneer of Tornado Forecasting, Dies at 85

His 1981 implementation of commercial Doppler radar for direct alerts revolutionized storm warning systems nationwide.

KWTV meteorologist Gary England on June 20, 2007, describes being in the storm cellar in his grandmother's yard as a tornado passed over when he was a boy.
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Overview

  • He passed away peacefully on June 10, surrounded by his wife of 63 years, Mary, and his daughter, Molly, at age 85.
  • England spent 41 years as chief meteorologist at KWTV News9 in Oklahoma City, retiring in 2013 after joining the station in 1972.
  • In 1981 he became the first meteorologist to use commercial Doppler radar for public warnings and later developed automated tools such as First Warning and StormTracker that set industry standards.
  • He earned multiple Emmys, the National Edward R. Murrow Award and induction into the Oklahoma Hall of Fame in 2013, and was lauded by NPR and The New York Times.
  • England authored four books on weather, appeared in more than 50 severe weather programs and made a memorable cameo in the 1996 film Twister.