Young meteorologist earns praise for lifesaving forecasts — and meets his idol, Jim Cantore
It may look like a simple bedroom in Raleigh, North Carolina, but for Ethan Clark, it's the headquarters of North Carolina's Weather Authority, one of the state's most-followed Facebook pages. With more than 600,000 followers, Clark, 22, delivers detailed weather updates, often live as storms pass through.
"If you're just joining us, storms are gonna continue to push east," Clark said during one of his live broadcasts.
Clark's fascination with weather began in middle school. A photo of him at age 10 dressed as The Weather Channel's Jim Cantore on Halloween showcased his passion.
"I love hurricanes," Clark said. "Like, I don't love one that does destruction, but I love the science of how it goes from a thunderstorm to a hurricane. I love the process of snow. It's something new every day."
Clark's work has had a profound impact on his community. Leslie Dean, a Greenville resident, started following his page in 2016 during Hurricane Matthew.
"Ethan's forecast is very accurate," Dean said. "He doesn't exaggerate possible systems coming through."
For Stacy Huff, Clark's page became a lifeline during a tornado threat.
"My husband, me, and the dog all crammed in the closet and listened to his livestream the whole time," Huff said. "It was so comforting to have that voice say, 'Okay, now you're out of danger, you can come out.'"
Emily Brewer credited Clark with saving her parents' lives during Hurricane Helene. "In this crisis, the helper was a college student in his dorm room, sitting at his desk, making these forecasts and sharing them with all of us," Brewer said.
A community celebration
Clark's dedication earned him one of North Carolina's highest civilian honors from Governor-elect Josh Stein. In November, CBS News contributor David Begnaud surprised Clark with a celebration at Raleigh's Mecca restaurant, filling the room with his biggest fans.
"I'm so proud of the work you do and the lives you have affected," Dean told Clark during the gathering.
Huff echoed the sentiment. "Everybody feels like you are their weather guy," she said. "You're not the Raleigh weather guy or the Charlotte weather guy—you're their weather guy."
Meeting his hero
The surprises continued when Begnaud revealed Clark would meet his childhood hero, Jim Cantore of The Weather Channel.
Last week, Clark flew to Atlanta to meet Cantore.
"You're ready to just jump on the air, aren't you?" Cantore said, impressed by Clark's professionalism.
Clark even delivered a forecast at The Weather Channel: "We have a brief warm-up and another clipper system with highs in the 40s on Friday and lows in the 20s," he said.
Cantore was impressed. "Dude, if I had done it that good my first time, I wouldn't have had to finish college," he joked.
David Begnaud loves uncovering the heart of every story and will continue to do so, highlighting everyday heroes and proving that there is good news in the news with his exclusive "CBS Mornings" series, "Beg-Knows America." Every Monday, get ready for moments that will make you smile or even shed a tear. Do you have a story about an ordinary person doing something extraordinary for someone else? Email David and his team at DearDavid@cbsnews.com
