The rise of Twitter has brought upon us a new kind of celebrity: the kind that does not even know they are one. Enter Steve Rudin, ABC7 weatherman with a bonus 50k (and rising) follower count on Twitter. But to Rudin, he is just your average forecaster.
“People follow me because of the weather,” he assured in an interview with The Sentry. “But you would be amazed how many people from out of state think I’m their weatherman. I get all these mentions saying like ‘Why didn’t I get any snow?!’ and I’m like dude, it’s because you’re in New Jersey.”
Clearly, albeit a good weatherman, Rudin’s personality is another reason why he has attained such a following. The proper mix between snarky, sassy, and realistic, Rudin makes insightful comments and appropriate jabs at people who tweet at him the most obnoxious of things.
On a cold day in March, Rudin tweeted his prediction that schools in the DC metro area would be cancelled the next day. A teen girl responded, “well duh anyone could tell that with these forecasts.” A few minutes later, Rudin countered, “I hope you have school.” The tweet went viral.
However, Rudin is quick to note, all of his responses are in fun and he would never deliberately “roast” someone. However, that may be attributed to a lack of understanding for what the word “roast” means, for he has definitely perfected the art of a well-timed comeback.
“I find myself looking on Urban Dictionary– people call me ‘savage’ a lot and I just don’t get what that means,” Rudin said.
To be clear, it is quite difficult to stay current with all of the lingo tossed around.
Rudin has also utilized his social media platform to insist upon fair calls for school closings and delays. He has been known to reprimand school systems for not announcing delays until in the wee hours of the morning; those early morning calls, he argues, are unacceptable and inconsiderate.
“When there is a storm warning, it has been issued by the National Weather Service for safety reasons. And when there is a storm warning in your area, and it has been issued the night before, you cancel school. It’s a no-brainer. It is a courtesy to the parents, to the students, and to the teachers,” said Rudin.
Thus, when Arlington did not make a call until 5am the day of, when freezing rain was predicted days in advance, Rudin got involved. The Twitter spat that ensued between him and the Arlington Public Schools’ Twitter account purportedly hurt the schools’ feelings, according to some, but for the rest of the winter season the calls were made much earlier. Whether that was prompted by Rudin’s comments, we will never know.
Rudin’s job as a weatherman spans much more than social media. He gets to work each day at 2:30pm, Monday through Friday, and gets ready to tape weather segments. Usually, he said, he does a piece for the four or five o’clock news; after the six o’clock news he tapes headlines that play during the ABC TV shows during the evening. Then, at nine, he tapes more, and again at 10 and 11. Then, finally, home.
“My favorite part of being a meteorologist is that it is something that I like outside of work– the most important part of someone’s search for a career is finding something you like doing without getting paid, and then you can find a way to make money doing it,” Rudin concluded.
When all things are considered, there is only one thing that is unfortunate about being a weatherman: you do not get any snow days.
