ABOUT TENNESSEE VALLEY WEATHER
Tennessee Valley Weather launched in April 2020 and services North Alabama, Southern Tennessee, and Northeast Mississippi with daily weather updates and up-to-the minute severe weather information. Born from the legacies of longtime broadcast radio weather leader WLX in Lawrenceburg, TN and the digital powerhouse Shoals Weather organization in Florence, AL, our entity is tasked with offering over-the-air updates, social media posts, and producing live content on our streaming weather channel.
Using the latest weather technology, including our own dual polarimetric doppler radar and advanced forecast systems, our team is fully committed to serving the entire Tennessee River Valley Region of Alabama, Tennessee, and Mississippi with only the best in truly local coverage.
Sometimes we're asked why have we committed ourselves to the service we offer. The answer is simple. We're from here. Our families live here and so do our friends and their friends and families too. The point is we work daily to keep everyone safe and informed during all forms of weather... from sunny days to the ones when we have to advise you to "hunker down" from potentially dangerous storms... everyone in our coverage area is of utmost importance to us, especially during severe weather.
We will always work to be there for you. 24 hours a day, seven days a week both on-the-air and online. From our weather app, to our YouTube Channel, and smart TV applications, we promise to provide you with only the best, most accurate information possible to help you plan your day to helping you in times of severe storms.
Our team possess decades of combined experience that is put to use everyday for you. From seasoned veterans of broadcast meteorology to those who've just earned their degree in our field, each member of our team brings something special and unique to the table that offers our viewers and listeners the most comprehensive picture of weather possible in the Tennessee Valley Region.
CONTACT THE TENNESSEE VALLEY WEATHER TEAM
Need to speak to a member of our team? GIve us a shout at the phone number or e-mail address below. We love feedback from our viewers and listeners so drop us a line and we'll get back to you as soon as possible.
Members of our team routinely offer informative weather presentations to community groups and school classes for children of all ages depending on availability and severe weather potential. Let us know when and were you'd like one of us to be, and we'll gladly work with you on making your event possible.
Phone:
931-629-2879
Mailing Address:
P.O. Box 611
Lawrenceburg, TN 38464
BEN LUNA
Managing Meteorologist
Weekday Mornings
Ben’s love of weather and broadcasting goes back to his childhood when he would watch Nashville and Huntsville television meteorologists present daily forecasts and stay glued to the TV during severe weather coverage. This put the idea of one day becoming a meteorologist in his mind at an early age.
This idea was cemented as destiny when on April 16, 1998, Tennessee’s first F-5 tornado touched down just miles from his house. Ben said that the events of that day and watching the community rally to help those affected by the historic twister confirmed what his one-day career would be.
Ben worked at WLX Radio in Lawrenceburg for just over 21 years. In his time there he held a number of roles including serving as the station's general manager for several years. He credits radio station owner Roger Wright as a major influence in his career and example of community dedication. This led him to purse volunteering in a host of organizations including the American Red Cross, New Prospect Fire Department, Box 50 Responder Services Unit, and the Rotary Club of Lawrenceburg.
A 2004 graduate of Lawrence County High School, Ben attended University of Tennessee Southern before being accepted into the Mississippi State University Broadcast Meteorology Program. He has also been a part of meteorology programs from both Penn State University and Harvard University.
He is married to Sarah, a counselor at Lawrence County High School. They reside in Lawrenceburg and have a cat named Bob. Ben also serves as pastor of Fall River and Pleasant Ridge United Methodist Churches.
He was awarded Lawrence County, TN’s “Citizen of the Year” in 2020 for his role in constructing a dual polarimetric doppler radar in Lawrenceburg and his leadership position in the Lawrence County volunteer and faith communities.
FRED GOSSAGE
Chief Meteorologist
Weekday Evenings
Fred's interest in weather started way back in 1992, watching the coverage of Hurricane Andrew the first week of third grade and his teacher, Sue Garrett, taking the time to answer questions and explain what was happening. That passing interest was then cemented into a long-life passion on March 27, 1994 when a violent tornado outbreak struck north central Alabama and adjacent areas of the Southeast. Fred watched the coverage from James Spann, then at WBRC-TV in Birmingham prior to the move to ABC 33/40, as he covered the F4 tornado that struck the Goshen United Methodist Church near Piedmont, Alabama and its aftermath, including the death of 20 people in that church, and another 2 people lost elsewhere along the tornado's track. Fred and his family encountered a funnel cloud in Shelby County, Alabama that evening in association with the same supercell thunderstorm that produced an F2 tornado in the Helena and Pelham areas of Alabama.
This happened around the time the internet became publicly available in residential homes and public schools, and Fred spent the next several years studying weather (even at a college textbook level while in high school) and using the also available real-time forecast data available on the internet to hone his forecasting experience and skills. Fred's experience during that time included the April 8, 1998 F5 tornado near Birmingham, AL; the December 16, 2000 F4 tornado in Tuscaloosa; and the November 24, 2001 tornado outbreak in Alabama (the largest tornado outbreak in the state's history until 2011).
Professionally or as a hobbyist, Fred Gossage has been analyzing and forecasting weather in north central Alabama, southern Tennessee, and northeast Mississippi for over 27 years. Professionally, this has included making weather-related dismissal decisions with the Pell City School System, leading forecast operations for national-level forecast website and social media companies, and even working as a forecaster and customer support meteorologist for Baron Weather in Huntsville. His experience also includes being a severe weather analyst and radar technician at WBRC-TV in Birmingham. Fred was behind the scenes at the station driving the radar systems for on-air tornado coverage on April 27, 2011. Fred's role there also included on-air severe weather coverage during the January 23, 2012 and March 2, 2012 significant tornado events.
When Fred isn't working in the weather center, you might find him geeking out over the latest superhero movie... or you might just find him in the kitchen frying up some chicken, rolling out biscuits, and cooking collard greens.
KELLI ROSSON
Staff Meteorologist
Weekday Middays
Kelli Rosson grew up in the Chicagoland area and has loved weather ever since she could spell the word 'meteorologist.' She has always had a fascination for weather, especially severe weather. Thankfully she did not experience much severe weather growing up, but she had her fair share of winter weather. The Groundhog Day Blizzard of 2011 dumped nearly 2 feet of snow at her house. Later that year, she was glued to the April 27th tornado outbreak coverage as the event unfolded. From there, she knew she wanted to become a meteorologist.
Kelli earned her meteorology degree at Western Kentucky University in 2018. While there, she was a forecaster for White Squirrel Weather. She was also one of 8 students selected for the competitive Field Methods in Weather Analysis and Forecasting course, where she went out to the plains to forecast severe weather and see the forecast to its fruition.
After graduating from WKU, she worked at WYMT in Hazard, Kentucky as the weekend morning meteorologist. She moved on to become a news producer at WAFF in Huntsville, Alabama. Since moving to the Tennessee Valley, she married her husband, who is the Youth Director at Faith Church in Lawrenceburg.
When Kelli is not looking at the radar, she is serving as a youth leader and a creative team member at church. She also loves to spend time outdoors, especially if her dog Theo is by her side.
You can watch Kelli on Middays on the Tennessee Valley Weather Channel and on Facebook and YouTube.
BRYAN WILSON
Staff Meteorologist & Radar Analyst
Weekends
Bryan Wilson is the radar analyst and weekend weathercaster for the Tennessee valley weather channel. Bryan’s passion for weather extends back to his early childhood which he spent in Oklahoma, experiencing blizzards, tornadoes and everything in-between. As the years went on, these persistent extremely weather events planted a seed of passion in his head that continues to grow by the day.
Bryan was the first non-founding member of the Tennessee Valley Weather team, joining the team as radar analyst in May of 2020 after the installation of southern Tennessee’s first and only high resolution, dual-polarization Doppler radar.
Since his joining the team, Bryan has steered radar on some of the most impactful days in recent memory, such as March 25, 2021, when an EF-2 tornado impacted Wayne County, Tennessee.
When he isn’t gazing at the clouds, you can find him looking up at the night sky, studying the shapes of constellations and stars on clear nights and maintaining a great interest in the nation's space program.
Currently pursuing a degree in Physics, Bryan is working towards one day earning an NWA seal of approval.