Austin Chaney returns to WHIO-TV as Chief Meteorologist

DAYTON — Austin Chaney has returned to WHIO-TV as its new Storm Center 7 Chief Meteorologist. The announcement was made on June 28 that Chaney would be returning to fill the void after McCall Vrydaghs left to take a job outside broadcast television.

Chaney will lead a team of talented and experienced meteorologists.

“With Austin’s experience here in the Miami Valley, we could not be more thrilled to have him lead the team,” said WHIO Vice President and General Manager, Darren Moore. “Knowing how committed he is to our community, and his passion for providing life-saving weather information, Austin is the very best for this important work. He knows Dayton, loves to be involved, and can’t wait to hop right back in.”

Austin has always loved the weather. Since he was young, he has been interested in the science of weather and how it impacts people. In middle school, he began giving weather forecasts on his school’s morning newscast. Although he was only 12 years old, he knew that he wanted to be a TV meteorologist.

Austin attended the University of Georgia where he earned degrees in Atmospheric Sciences and Geography. Early in his career, he earned the American Meteorological Society’s Certified Broadcast Meteorologist distinction. He was the youngest meteorologist to receive the AMS CBM at that time.

Chaney joined WHIO and Storm Center 7 for the first time in 2021, experiencing all of the extreme weather the Miami Valley has to offer: tornadoes, floods, dangerous heat, and severe snowstorms. In addition to tracking storms as a meteorologist, Austin also enjoyed hosting WHIO’s Touchdown 7 High School Football Highlight show.

Chaney said, “I could not be more excited to lead WHIO’s Storm Center 7 Team, and I’m honored to be Chief Meteorologist. I’m thrilled to make the Miami Valley my home for years to come.”

Chaney returns to the Miami Valley with his wife, Lily, after working most recently as a meteorologist for WHIO’s sister station, WSOC in Charlotte, North Carolina.

News Center 7 is coverage you can count on in the Miami Valley, and that’s reflected in the station’s dominant ratings and local market share over the decades. From early morning to late night, more viewers depend on News Center 7 for breaking news and weather than any other station.

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