Kathy Orr
Kathy Orr’s first notable on-air appearance had nothing to do with Arctic highs, offshore breezes or flash-flood warnings.
Nor did it require her to fly through a hurricane—as she would one day do.
And perhaps best of all … no risky predictions of winter snowfall totals.
CBS3’s chief meteorologist was still a student at Syracuse University when the producers of a new MTV game show, “Remote Control,” came to the campus, looking for contestants.
Kathy passed the audition.
As she recalled in an interview: “I had a final exam and I asked my professor if I could take it a later time. They picked a bunch of us. I had a blast… I lost.”
Well, she may well have lost on a game show. But from that point on, Kathy Orr’s broadcast career has followed a winning trajectory.
The broadcasting bug hit Kathy early. As a kid growing up in the Syracuse, New York, suburb of Westvale, she is said to have loved watching televised sports—and that heightened her interest in a career before the cameras.
Orr went on to receive her degree in meteorology from SUNY-Oswego. She also received a dual bachelor’s of science degree in broadcast journalism and marketing from Syracuse University.
After school, one of her first jobs in news was, happily, not too far from home. Kathy landed the job of chief meteorologist for CBS affiliate WTVH in Syracuse. There, she presided over the nightly “Fivecast”—predicting snow showers for Manlius, sunny skies for Old Forge, or unseasonably high temperatures for Norwich. (Also sitting at the anchor desk was her future Philadelphia colleague Tracy Davidson.)
Flash forward to 1998, when she arrived in the nation’s fourth largest media market and a weekend weather slot at WCAU. It didn’t long for people to sit up and take notice of the new kid in town. The Delco Daily Times named her “Rookie of the Year.” Not long afterward, she was picking up Mid-Atlantic Emmy awards.
In January 2003, she accepted the post of chief meteorologist at CBS3. And the honors and words of praise have just kept coming.
Of course, Philly’s Irish know Kathy as more than just their favorite source for weather. She also hosts the Philadelphia St. Patrick’s Day Parade—an assignment she obviously loves. Even when she has to predict a hard rain for the day of the parade, nothing dampens Kathy’s enthusiasm.
Kathy devotes her off-the-air energies to local charities such as Susan G. Komen for the Cure. In 1998, she was awarded the New York Governor’s Award for community service.
There’s clearly much more to Kathy Orr than what you see on screen. (Ask her about scuba diving.)
A discerning fan once described Kathy Orr as “a smart, competent, schtick-free woman.”
Whether you’re looking for a weather forecast or service to the community … that’s just what you want.
