Derek Beasley joined the Weather Authority as Chief Meteorologist for LOCAL 15 in August of 2009. Derek delivers the Weather Authority Hour by Hour Forecast weekdays at 5, 6 and 10pm.
“When I got into television, I made a list of the top places I wanted to work at some point in my career. The Mobile/Pensacola television market was among the Top 5 on that list. From a weather standpoint, the Gulf Coast is incredibly challenging and offers a unique opportunity to forecast hurricanes. Besides that, this is a highly underrated part of the country. The mild winters and beautiful beaches are part of what makes this area a great place to live."
Prior to accepting the position at LOCAL 15, Derek worked at WLWT (NBC) in Cincinnati for 4 years, first as morning meteorologist but was promoted to chief meteorologist in January of 2007. He also worked at KHBS/KHOG (ABC) in Fort Smith, Ark. as weekend meteorologist/weather producer from 2004 to 2005. He got his start in television while in graduate school in May of 2003 as a freelance meteorologist for WCBI (CBS) in Columbus, MS.
Derek became interested with weather as a child and knew from the time he was in elementary school that he wanted to be a meteorologist. He decided on a career in broadcast meteorology while in college. Derek is an experienced storm chaser and chases everything from blizzards and tornadoes to hurricanes. He has covered many notable hurricanes such as Isabel, Lili and Katrina. One of his most memorable moments was riding out Hurricane Ivan in Spanish Fort back in 2004. "I was with a group of other chasers and we rode out the storm in a classmate's house that survived Hurricane Frederic in 1979, so we knew our chances of making it through the night were better than average."
Derek is originally from Rochester, NY, but is no stranger to living in the South. He grew up in the eastern Arkansas town of Forrest City and has lived and worked in Mississippi, Louisiana, Kentucky and Oklahoma. He earned his meteorology degree from the University of Oklahoma in 2001 and later attended graduate school at Mississippi State in Starkville to obtain a graduate degree in Geosciences.
Derek has the Certified Broadcast Meteorologist (CBM) Seal Of Approval from the American Meteorological Society and the Seal Of Approval for Television from the National Weather Association.
Derek's interests range from collecting and driving European performance cars to enjoying the outdoors. Derek also loves watching college football and you'll find him cheering on the Sooners and Mississippi State Bulldogs during the fall.
You can follow Derek on Twitter: @Derek_Beasley
