John Patrick 

John Patrick is the Chief Meteorologist for ABC7. That means he oversees the Storm Warn 7 weather product that you see on TV and online. You can watch John on ABC7 News Monday thru Friday at 5, 6, 7 & 11pm. Loyal ABC7 viewers know John as “JP” and have come to trust him to guide them through everything from the sunshine & 80º days to land falling hurricanes.

Before being named Chief Meteorologist in August of 2011, John moved to the Prime Time Newscasts in April of 2011 on a trial basis. JP was the meteorologist on the weekday morning news on ABC7 and built quite a loyal fan base while on the morning wake-up shift. Even though he was quite the character in the morning, JP actually has the highest professional achievements that a TV meteorologist can earn, so he really knows what he’s talking about when he gives you the forecast.

John earned the Certified Broadcast Meteorologist (CBM) designation from the American Meteorological Society in 2009. This is an upgrade to the old AMS Seal of Approval that JP had prior. In order to become a CBM, a degreed meteorologist has to pass a pretty difficult test on various weather and science topics and then submit his on-air work to a panel for competency.

In addition to being a CBM, John also holds the National Weather Association’s Seal of Approval. JP is the only meteorologist in Southwest Florida to hold both of these two accolades.

JP has been with ABC7 since April of 2005. During his time in Southwest Florida, JP was nominated twice for an Emmy Award and won the Associated Press’ “Best Weathercast” 1st Place award each year from 2008 thru 2012. That’s 5 years in a row!

Before coming to ABC7, John forecast for various parts of the country, including Pennsylvania, New York and Arkansas, where he was voted “Best TV Meteorologist” in Northwest Arkansas by the readers of CitiScapes magazine. Although JP graduated from Mississippi State University’s Broadcast Meteorology Program in 2002, John actually first studied communications at Duquesne University and had a career as a radio personality on several radio stations in Western & Central Pennsylvania before getting into TV.

In his spare time, JP enjoys golfing at the great courses near his home in Lehigh Acres. He also likes spending time in the kitchen. One of the first things JP did to his house when he bought it was to remodel the kitchen from top to bottom. (The dishwasher on wheels had to go!) He enjoys watching the Food Network chefs and most enjoys cooking recipes from his Paula Deen & Ina Garten cookbooks.