Harvey Leonard To Retire As WCVB Boston Chief Meteorologist, Assume Emeritus Role

Harvey Leonard

Harvey Leonard, the longtime, chief meteorologist at Hearst Television’s ABC affiliate WCVB Boston, has announced his plan to retire from the helm of StormTeam 5 effective May 25. However, he will transition from his daily role to the position of chief meteorologist emeritus, contributing to severe weather and climate coverage. He will begin his new role this fall.

Leonard’s career spans 50 years, with more than 45 of them forecasting weather in New England and 20 at WCVB.

Leonard said: “After five wonderful decades doing a job that I love, and after having received so many distinguished honors from dear colleagues and professional organizations, I’ve decided it’s time to step back from my day-to-day role at WCVB and transition to contributing in a new way.

“My new role will allow me the best of both worlds: I will still contribute to StormTeam 5 coverage serving our community with important information as well as remain an active member of the Channel 5 family, and I will get to spend more time enjoying activities with my personal family. Additionally, this new position will allow me more opportunities to engage in the community which is something I very much enjoy.”

“There is nobody who is more revered and beloved by the community and colleagues than Harvey Leonard,” said Kyle I. Grimes, WCVB president and general manager. “Over the course of his extraordinary career, and his two decades as chief meteorologist at WCVB, Harvey has had an indelible influence on all of those he has mentored, on the community organizations with which he is involved, and all of us here at Channel 5. We sincerely thank him for all he has done and what he’ll continue to contribute in his emeritus role.”

“Harvey’s contributions to Channel 5’s audience, to all of New England, and to the industry as a whole are legendary,” said Margaret Cronan, WCVB news director. “Whether delivering nightly forecasts or leading all-hands-on-deck severe storm coverage, Harvey is laser-focused on clearly communicating critical information to our viewers. He is treasured by them and by his newsroom family, and we’re glad that he’ll continue to contribute to StormTeam 5 in retirement.”

Leonard joined WCVB in 2002 as StormTeam 5’s co-chief meteorologist with his longtime friend Dick Albert, who retired in 2009. Prior to joining WCVB, Leonard was chief meteorologist at Boston’s WHDH and at WPRI in Providence, R.I. Leonard began his forecasting career at Universal Weather Services Inc.

Widely regarded as The Dean of Boston Meteorologists, Leonard has received numerous awards throughout his renowned career. Most recently, Leonard and WCVB’s entire weather and news team was awarded First Place by the National Headliner Awards for the best “severe weather reporting” in the country. Also recently, Leonard was inducted into the prestigious Gold Circle presented by The National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (NATAS) Boston/New England chapter honoring fifty years of outstanding contributions to the industry.

In 2019, Leonard was named Broadcaster of the Year by the Massachusetts Broadcasters Association, and in 2018 he was inducted into the Massachusetts Broadcasters Hall of Fame. In 2016, Leonard was honored with the distinguished Governor’s Award for Lifetime Achievement by NATAS Boston/New England.

He has earned four New England Emmy Awards for outstanding weathercasting. Leonard is a Fellow of the American Meteorologist Society and was awarded their prestigious Outstanding Service Award by a Broadcast Meteorologist. He is credited as the first meteorologist to correctly predict the impact and intensity of the infamous Blizzard of 1978.

An active member of the community, Leonard is involved in numerous local organizations including the Huntington’s Disease Society of America, and he participates in both the Walk to End Alzheimer’s and the Boston Prostate Cancer Walk. Leonard has supported the work of the Boston Medical Center, the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency, and the Blue Hill Weather Observatory. Leonard has also served as an honored guest speaker at Harvard Business School and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Leonard received a Bachelor of Science degree in meteorology from City College of New York and earned a Master of Science degree in meteorology from New York University, where he also served as an instructor in meteorology.