Dr. Josh Eachus - Chief Meteorologist
Dr. Josh Eachus is the chief meteorologist for WBRZ. Since joining WBRZ, Josh has covered the Great Flood of 2016, the Big Freeze of 2021, and multiple tornado outbreaks.
Josh received his Ph.D. from Louisiana State University in December 2017. His research and expertise are in effective communication of weather, especially during high impact events such as hurricanes, floods and tornadoes. Josh's doctoral research has been published in esteemed scientific journals such as Weather, Climate & Society and Natural Hazards. With that, Josh has been chosen to recommend best practices to field leaders at meteorological conferences around the United States. Additionally, Josh launched the first southeast Louisiana Integrated Warning Team- a conference that assembles the National Weather Service, Emergency Managers, and local media to improve local weather communication.
Josh grew up in Aston, Pennsylvania where a fear of thunderstorms grew into a respect and curiosity about weather. He went on to study at California University of Pennsylvania and earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Meteorology and an Master of Science degree in Sports Management. While there, Josh participated in a two-week-long summer storm chase across the country for credited coursework.
At the beginning of his career, Josh was a part of an award winning weather team at WTOV9 in Steubenville, Ohio/ Wheeling, West Virginia. During that time, Josh also worked as an adjunct professor with the Bethany College Department of Communications.
Josh joined WBRZ in September 2013. He received the National Weather Association (NWA) Broadcast Meteorologist seal of approval in 2013 and has been a professional member of the NWA and American Meteorologist Society (AMS) since then. In 2014, he and longtime WBRZ Chief Forecaster, Pat Shingleton received an Associated Press award for “Best Team Weather Coverage in Louisiana” for efforts during the winter storm of January 2014. In 2021, the Louisiana Association of Broadcasters voted Josh as the “Best Weathercast” in Louisiana.
In 2016, Josh launched WBRZ’s “Dog Days of Summer” which is an annual effort to increase adoptions for dogs in need of a home. Since the first campaign, Josh has helped WBRZ's partners at Friends of the Animals Baton Rouge raise thousands of dollars and find new homes for hundreds of dogs.
“I’m proud to work for WBRZ. My values, our values, are to be there for this community on and off the air, first, before, during and after severe weather. My role is to provide the area with accurate, scientifically sound weather information. My educational background provides a proven method of bringing weather information by empowering them.This delivery is a blend of science and communication that is lost on many meteorologists. This new school mentality what WBRZ is all about—bringing the latest trends as the local news game changes,” said Josh. "I have a passion for weather and can't help but share my passion. The greatest compliment I receive from members of the community is not just that they enjoy my weather forecasts, but that they learned something about weather from watching me."
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Josh lives in East Baton Rouge Parish with his wife, Jaimee, and two dogs, Doug and Cash. In his spare time, he enjoys golfing, golfing and golfing. With a degree in hand and years soaking in purple and gold, Josh is now a diehard LSU sports fan and you can catch him on fall weekends tailgating and yelling in Tiger Stadium. While not as popular here in Louisiana, Josh is a huge hockey fan and rarely misses a game featuring his hometown Philadelphia Flyers.
TWITTER: @DrJoshWX
FACEBOOK: Meteorologist Josh Eachus, Ph.D.
Email: jeachus@wbrz.com