Paul Wetzl has been working at WKBN since 1998. He is in his 26th year of forecasting Northeast Ohio and Northwest Pennsylvania weather.
Paul re-joined 27 First News as a weeknight meteorologist in 2014 after 3 years in the same position at 33 WYTV. He had previously spent 13 years as a weekend meteorologist on WKBN 27 First News. He started his career at WTOK-TV in Meridian, Mississippi.
Born in 1975 in Youngstown, Paul spent a big part of his life growing up in Columbiana county. He lived in West Point, Ohio and attended Beaver Local School through 10th grade. His family moved to the United Local school district and he graduated in 1993. He then left to attend Mississippi State University, where he received a Bachelor of Science degree in Geosciences with an emphasis on Meteorology.
After spending five years in Mississippi, Paul was thrilled to return to his home in Northeast Ohio in 1998. He enjoys the challenge of forecasting in an area which receives all types of weather, including lake effect snow. His passion for weather opened the door for him to co-own a Storm Chasing Tour Company called “Tornado Express” from 2002 through 2007. The company would take guests throughout the Great Plains during the Spring and early Summer each year in search for tornadoes. Paul enjoys anything to do with the weather, including forecasting and storm chasing.
When not at work, Paul is at home working on his small cattle farm. He forecasts the weather while at work and then spends as much time as he can outside in it when at home.
Some of Paul’s most memorable weather events within the viewing area include the Winter emergencies, ice storms during the winter of 1999, the Clark, Pennsylvania tornado of 2002, the flooding in Columbiana County in 2004, the wind event from Hurricane Ike in 2008 and the snowiest winter on record in 2010-11.
