1939-2025 Gary England, the popular Oklahomabased meteorologist who brought Doppler radar and early tornado warnings to the mainstream, died June 10, 2025, at the age of 85.
Enterprise Electronics Corporation developed the first Doppler weather radar system for commercial use, but it was England who, in 1982, first took to the air and used the system to provide viewers with an early warning about an incoming tornado. Radar had been used to track tornadoes before – a decade prior, England himself cut into TV programming to warn of an existing tornado outside Norman, Oklahoma using a then-new system designed for television – but providing early warnings before a tornado had even appeared was groundbreaking. It has since become commonplace, likely saving countless lives in the process.
England also helped create First Warning and Storm Tracker, two systems designed to more easily pinpoint and display when and where severe weather will hit. His work made him well-known enough that he had a cameo in the 1996 film “Twister.” He is also the author of “Weathering the Storm: Tornadoes, Television, and Turmoil,” a 1997 account of his career to that point.
Tributes poured in to social media from colleagues, others in the field, and viewers alike. “Everyone in Oklahoma - or the country knew Gary as a weather forecasting legend! I had the pleasure of working with him for several years. Oklahoma will miss you Gary!” wrote KWTV anchor Jennifer K Pierce, while KSWO anchor Kyle Weatherly called him “the unquestioned G.O.A.T. (Greatest of All Time) of Oklahoma meteorologists. An absolute legend that meant as much to his profession and this state as anyone ever has.”
