Why Weather Forecasters May Be Our Best Climate Communicators

In this episode of the Scientista Podcast, meteorologist and Climate Central’s VP for Engagement Bernadette Woods Placky explains why local weather forecasters may be the most trusted—and underutilized—climate communicators we have.

We talk about her path from aspiring gymnast to award-winning meteorologist, how attribution science is changing the climate conversation, and why communication is as critical as policy and technology in building climate resilience.

🎧 In this episode:

• Why weathercasters are often the only scientists people know
• How climate change is transforming everyday weather
• The rise of attribution science and real-time climate tracking
• What trust and curiosity have to do with climate action

Thank you for listening! Learn more about Scientista here: www.scientista.world

Transcript

As extreme weather becomes more frequent and damaging, the role of trusted messengers has never been more important. Bernadette Woods Placky, Chief Meteorologist and Vice President for Engagement at Climate Central, says people often turn to one familiar source for information: their local weathercaster.

“TV meteorologists are trusted messengers in their community,” she explained on the Scientista Podcast. “They are sometimes the only scientists that people know or have a connection with.”

Placky has spent her career helping people understand the difference between weather and climate—and how the two are connected. At Climate Central, she leads the Climate Matters program, which equips meteorologists and journalists with localized climate data so they can communicate more effectively with the public.

From Tornado Alley to Baltimore: A Career Built on Curiosity

Placky was initially more focused on gymnastics than academics. But once at Penn State, she discovered the university’s strong meteorology program and quickly saw how it aligned with her skills and interests.

“I never thought of meteorology as a profession,” she said. “But I loved the atmosphere, I had already done a lot of math and physics, and it became obvious that’s the direction I should go.”

Her TV career took her to Fayetteville, Arkansas, then Lexington, Kentucky, and eventually Baltimore. She covered tornadoes, hurricanes, and extreme flooding. Along the way, she realized that TV meteorologists weren’t just delivering forecasts. They were building relationships with the public—relationships that could become lifelines during disasters.

“It was more that you had a direct line to the public when you saw these storms coming,” she said. “And so I wanted that.”

Connecting the Dots: From Weather to Climate

Although most meteorologists now acknowledge the reality of climate change, not all are comfortable talking about it on air. Placky has been part of a larger effort to close that gap.

“In our changed climate, it has fundamentally shifted our weather,” she said. “My vision is everywhere you see weather, there’s that climate connection.”

She’s also working to strengthen the scientific tools that make those connections clear. One of them is the Climate Shift Index, which tracks how climate change is influencing daily weather events, including heat, ocean temperatures, and hurricane wind speeds.

“We are at a point now where we can quantify the role of climate change within individual extreme events,” she said. “That includes health metrics, economic metrics, and impacts on the ground.”

This kind of attribution science is helping more people understand that climate change isn’t distant or abstract. It’s affecting the temperatures outside their door and the events unfolding in their communities.

Communication Is Part of the Solution

Some argue that rising insurance costs and physical damage will eventually force people to move or adapt. But Placky says that view misses the point.

“We don’t want to see more people die or go through harm,” she said. “Communication is a key component in getting us there.”

She sees communication as a solution in itself—just as important as policy or technology. It’s what helps people prepare, respond, and act.

“We need to treat it as an equal to some of the technological advances and to some of the policy advances,” she said.

She also pushes back against the myth that the public is divided on climate. While disinformation continues to circulate, research shows that most people want to learn more and take action.

“The biggest piece of misinformation that I see with climate change isn’t necessarily the scientific facts,” she said. “It’s that we don’t think people care. But they actually do.”

Everyone Can Be a Communicator

Whether it’s in conversations with neighbors or through social media, Placky believes people don’t need a science degree—or a TV camera—to help shift the public narrative.

“Raising your voice—whether that’s to your neighbor, your family, or your policymakers—is an action that every single person can do.”

That also means choosing to stay engaged, especially in a moment when the scale of the problem can feel overwhelming.

“Sometimes you have to choose hope. You have to choose that path forward. Because the alternative can be really tough.”

For the Next Generation

For young people looking to build careers in climate, especially those drawn to science communication, Placky encourages them to lean into curiosity.

“Curiosity is how you’re going to keep growing and learning,” she said. “The more curious you are, the more you’re going to drive change.”