George Winterling death: Former meteorologist of WJXT dies at 91, cause of death and obituary

George Winterling cause of death. (Source: Facebook)

Well-known meteorologist George Winterling, who served as chief meteorologist at WJXT, has died at the age of 91. He embodied what a renowned figure should be. George was a modest man who was well-known for his kindness and caring to people throughout his life. Keep reading to know more about George Winterling and his cause of death in detail.

Who was George Winterling?

George Winterling was an American television meteorologist.

Winterling served as the chief meteorologist for television station WJXT in Jacksonville, Florida, for nearly fifty years. He contributed to the advancement of contemporary forecasting. George and Virginia wed in 1956; they have 3 children together (Wendy Gale, Frank, and Steve), as well as a number of grandkids.

They took a trip to Alaska to go back to the base where George was stationed in 1953 in celebration of their golden wedding anniversary. They live in Jacksonville’s Mandarin neighborhood.

The “heat index” was created by him. The heat index (HI), which measures air temperature and relative humidity in shaded regions, attempts to predict how hot it would feel if the humidity in the shade were at a different value. The outcome is additionally referred to as the “felt air temperature,” “apparent temperature,” “real feel,” or “feels like.”

Education

Winterling was born in New Jersey, and at the age of ten, he relocated to Jacksonville with his family. In 1949, after completing his high school education at Robert E. Lee, he enlisted in the US Air Force. He decided on meteorology and was sent to the Weather Observers School at Chanute Air Force Base in Rantoul, Illinois, after learning that cadet training needed two years of college.

After spending a year at Turner Air Force Base in Albany, Georgia, he went to Oklahoma A&M’s Intermediate Meteorology School in Stillwater. He was stationed at Shemya Air Force Base in Alaska’s Aleutian Islands, where he got to see the deadly storms that formed in the Pacific Ocean.

He attended Jacksonville Junior College (now Jacksonville University) after leaving the military in 1954, then went to Florida State University where he graduated with a degree in meteorology in 1957. At first, he worked for the United States Weather Bureau, which is now the National Weather Service, for five years.

1960 Hurricane

Major storm Donna struck in 1960, making landfall near Marathon before moving into the Gulf of Mexico, coming ashore north of Naples, traversing the state, returning to the Atlantic Ocean at Daytona Beach, and then avoiding the east coast all the way to Canada.

The hurricane caused $900 million in damages and approximately 350 fatalities over a period of 17 days. Winterling was curious about the hurricane. In light of that, he was persuaded that “the media needed knowledgeable persons doing weathercasts in times of emergencies” like hurricanes.

Damage from Hurricane Dora. (Source: WJXT)

Winterling presented WJXT management with a novel proposal in 1962: include a meteorologist to provide a weather forecast throughout the newscast. The proposal was approved, and he was given the position. Less than two years later, Hurricane Dora was forecasted to hit the First Coast, and Jacksonville residents were the only ones to receive a warning from local forecaster Winterling.

AMS Member

Since 1963, Winterling has been a member of the American Meteorological Society (AMS), and his broadcasts have been approved by them.

He developed and copyrighted space-view maps to depict weather systems across the nation in the early days before satellite images and started the practice of estimating the likelihood of rainfall.

Winterling devised the AMS Seal of Approval in 1973 after being appointed to the Board of Radio and Television Weathercasting in 1969. Beginning in 1975, he worked at Jacksonville University as an adjunct professor, where he taught meteorology until 1994. He developed the “humiture” formula in 1978 to take into consideration the interaction between summer heat and humidity, and the National Weather Service adopted it as the heat index the following year.

For using animation to help viewers comprehend meteorological phenomena, Winterling was given an excellent service award by the AMS in 1984. In 1989, he passed the AMS exam and earned the title of Certified Consulting Meteorologist.

Retirement

Bob Ellis, the general manager of WJXT, announced Winterling’s semi-retirement on April 23, 2009. He would fill in when the station’s other weather people were away and act as a severe weather expert during hurricanes, albeit he would no longer be seen on the regular newscasts.

Winterling claimed he would have more time to attend community functions and give speeches at civic groups, activities he claimed to enjoy. He said that in the early years, there had been times when he wanted to warn viewers about dangerous weather, but the network’s broadcast guidelines forbade interruptions of shows.

In comparison to when his only instruments were a rain gauge, thermometer, anemometer, and wind vane, television weather forecasting had made considerably more progress. The two most important tools nowadays are computers and satellites.

Ellis commented,

“George Winterling is as famous as it gets. He pioneered the way we do weather, he helped us understand how we can make it relevant to viewers.”

As the weather anchor for the 6:00 news show, Winterling made his final appearance on May 20th, 2009. In recognition of Winterling’s time at WJXT, the Jacksonville City Council passed Resolution 2009-396-A on June 23, 2009.

George’s Garden Program

Winterling was widely recognized for his gardening prowess. His mother’s World War II victory garden served as the inspiration for his passion for gardening. He had a garden at his house and sent photos and produce to other workers.

In 1991, the management of WJXT proposed that he start a garden at the station, and they developed a weekly program called George’s Garden that guided on when to plant, what to grow, watering, and fertilizing.

1991-2009 George’s Garden at Channel 4. (Source: WJXT)

Every Thursday during the growth season for almost 12 years, Winterling broadcast the 6:00 weather live from the garden. To avoid inclement weather and getting dressed up between broadcasts, George eventually started taping the show early. Winterling told his followers that even after he retired,

“I’ll still be around. I can’t get away from the garden.”

How did George Winterling die?

At the age of 91, George Winterling passed away on June 21, 2023. He became a household name in the community after spending 47 years alerting people in Southeast Georgia and Northeast Florida about impending severe weather.

Vic Micolucci, a journalist for WJXT4, posted the heartbreaking information on Facebook and spoke about how George had greatly influenced him.

Furthermore, WJXT4 The Local Station / News4JAX expressed their sympathies and asked everyone to post their favorite George Winterling memories on Facebook and Twitter.

George Winterling was more than just a local weatherman. He was a pioneer in both the field of weather forecasting and television broadcasting.

George Winterling cause of death

George Winterling experienced a cardiac arrest in 2011 and was taken to the hospital. The general manager of WJXT, Bob Ellis, stated that on November 21, 2011, shortly after recuperating from a cardiac arrest, he returned to WJXT to present the weather for one transmission during their morning show.

At this point, it is unknown precisely what led to his death apart from the confirmation of his death and the exact George Winterling cause of death was not released as well.

In order to learn more about George Winterling cause of death, we are attempting to get in touch with his friends and family. This section will be updated as soon as we learn any new information regarding the tragic event that brought many people to tears.

Tributes to George Winterling

Many people expressed their profound sympathies to his family and expressed how much they loved him. The news of this occurrence has upset his supporters and fans.

Former Station Projects Director at WJXT TV, Tracy Gonzalez Gaffney wrote: “It was an honor and pleasure to work with George Winterling for 25+ years at WJXT4 The Local Station / News4JAX. He retired in 2009 and we kept in touch over the years. He texted me when I retired a few months ago and in our last conversation I told him how much I appreciated his support of our community events over the years. We had fun at ‘4 on the Road’ events in various cities, and he joined our team for the March of Dimes Walk; United Way campaigns; and the Making Strides Against Cancer events we sponsored. George was a generous donor to so many causes. Everyone loved George! Sending my condolences to his family and thanks for sharing him with our community for all those years.”

NCSO Director of Public Affairs/Former WJXT News, Ashley Spicer wrote: “I was just telling a friend the other day how I first met George. He was tending the garden at the station and I had no idea who he was (I couldn’t see his face) until I asked can I help you? Then he turned his face to me and gave me the biggest smile and I said, “Oh my gosh you’re George Winterling!” He was a legend. He made a huge impact on our community. He will never be forgotten! “

Meteorologist Casey Cloud  wrote: “Legendary former WJXT Channel 4 Chief Meteorologist George Winterling passed away Wednesday. He was one of the pioneers of broadcast meteorology and a local icon that I admired. My thoughts and prayers are with his family and friends during this difficult time.”

Obituary

One of the worst things anyone can go through in life is losing a loved one. Any journey must have a destination at the end. The person’s time on earth has regrettably come to an end now that they have died. We wish him eternal peace and send our thoughts and prayers to his loved ones, family, friends. May he rest in peace.

Kindly use the comment box below to honor the death of George Winterling by leaving a tribute.

KEEP READING,

Marcus Howells death: Lead singer of Foreign Legion dies after a brief illness

David McAteer farm accident: Wilkinstown rugby player died after fatal injuries

Follow us on Twitter for more updates.