Summer arrived this week with all the sticky humidity it is famous for here in the Ohio River Valley.

That’s what you call “air you can wear.” Paul Emmick, a former meteorologist with The Weather Channel, charmed the nation with that phrase.

And that voice.

I met Paul in 1982 or so, when he was a high-school intern at the radio and cable TV station where I worked in the news department. He was training to fill in on the weekends at our FM station, WSTO.

During his station tour (we were in two buildings), Paul met the news staff. I remember him as being incredibly composed for a 16-year-old. He was polite, quick with a smile, and ready to learn.

After he left, the chatter began in the all-male (except me) newsroom.

Where’d he get that voice? I want a voice like that!

“He’s just a kid!”

And did you see his shoes?

Yes, those shoes. Paul Emmick was more in style than the rest of us put together.

He wore Vans:

Before long, Paul was on the air. He did great. Next, he popped up on television – he’d studied meteorology and was the weatherman on one of our local stations. Same voice. Same personable manner.

The next time I “saw” Paul, it blew me away:

For seven years on The Weather Channel, Paul gave us the highs and lows. He warned us about hurricanes (his favorite) and sunamis. And, once in a while, “air you can wear.”

Then it was off to TV stations in Indianapolis, South Bend, and Louisville to bring his talents closer to home.

It wasn’t until 2015, though, that our paths crossed again. At the theme park where I worked, a new magic show debuted, using pre-recorded announcements the magician had conjured up thanks to a friend. Something about that voice sounded familiar.

It turns out Paul Emmick was not only a meteorologist, he was also a master magician. And a voice-over talent, working out of his home studio in Kentucky.

We hired Paul to record all the in-park messaging, such as safety instructions, the-park-is-closing announcements, and – yes – weather warnings. It was great to come full circle with that sweet-faced kid wearing Vans from all those years ago.

Sadly, Paul passed away in 2021, on April Fools Day. He was just 55, but Paul made more friends in his lifetime than the drops of rain in a southern Indiana toad strangler. And he is missed. Or should I say mist.

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