Lee Hendricks was driving to work on Route 22/30 for the midnight shift on March 13, 1993, when a Pennsylvania state trooper waved for him to stop.
He pulled over, thinking the officer needed help because his police car was stuck in the snow. A storm was blanketing Western Pennsylvania, and would later be referred to as the Blizzard of ’93.
“As I rolled the window down, he started yelling at me to get off the road,” said Hendricks, a meteorologist and hydrologist for the National Weather Service in Moon. “I told him I had to get to work. Then I drove away. I knew he couldn’t catch me because his car was turned over in the snow. He wasn’t going to chase me down on foot.”
That weekend, more than two feet of snow fell. The 23.6 inches of snow in Pittsburgh is a record for that day that still stands today, Hendricks said.
Making his way in his four-wheel-drive truck to the National Weather Service through snow, ice, fog, thunderstorms or dangerously high winds has been the journey for Hendricks, who has dedicated his professional life to predicting forecasts for nearly four decades.
Hendricks is retiring. His final drive to work will be Friday.
He and his wife of 38 years, Jackie, will for the first time have every day, including weekends, off together. Hendricks plans to spend more time with the couple’s adult children, James and Kayleigh, and his father, John Hendricks.
“It is kind of surreal to think Friday is my last day,” Hendricks said.
JoAnne Klimovich Harrop | TribLive
Lee Hendricks, 62, has been working at the National Weather Service in Moon for nearly four decades.
His final work weather day will see highs in the mid-80s and lows in the 70s with a chance of rain after midnight.
Hendricks has worked all shifts, weekends and holidays. He’s weathered overtime hours during a multitude of serious weather.
Hendricks became interested in the craft during his time with the U.S. Air Force. He began his training at the former Chanute Air Force Base in central Illinois in 1980 where he had 12 weeks of coursework followed by seven and a half months learning meteorology and weather forecasting. His commander with the Air National Guard, Bill Drzal, worked for the National Weather Service and got Hendricks an interview.
He started in September 1985.
At that time, weather forecasts were stored on magnetic tapes and downloaded to a huge mainframe computer.
“We were so excited when we got to use an 8088 IBM tabletop computer,” Hendricks said on Tuesday, as he sat in front of five screens showing him radar and satellite data. “There is no comparison to today’s computers. I’m amazed at the accuracy.”
Although nothing is 100% in weather forecasting, today’s forecasts are about 85% correct and the details are so much better — such as being able to give an hour-by-hour forecast of the speed of wind or being able to pinpoint specific neighborhoods and get detailed information like the time when a specific thunderstorm cell will be making its way through.
Hendricks, 62, of Imperial, has watched his profession evolve from the earliest weather models — computer programs that take data collected by weather stations, radars, satellites and other weather instruments to help meteorologists determine forecasts.
When he started, the most reliable data was recorded at Pittsburgh International Airport, he said. The National Weather Service encompasses 36 counties in Pennsylvania, Northern West Virginia and Ohio.
The region normally experiences 16 tornadoes in a year. So far this year there have been 25. Hendricks said the recent extreme temperatures are unusual but not unprecedented — he recalled similar times in 1988 and 1994.
No matter the weather, Hendricks plans to spend time at the VFW in Imperial, where he is commander. The building is in need of repairs and he will be leading fundraising efforts. He plans to continue clothing drives for veterans at the local VA hospital and the Southwest Veterans Home and collect money for Wreaths Across America.
Hendricks will also host VFW service officers to help veterans know about benefits.
“I want to do a little something to help veterans,” he said. “We want to make sure veterans are always remembered.”
Hendrick’s dedication to weather will never be forgotten, said Alicia Miller, a senior service hydrologist for the National Weather Service. She said he helped build relationships with the U.S. Coast Guard, the Army Corps of Engineers and the Waterways Association.
She recalled that on her first day, she wore a white suit. Hendricks cautioned she might mess up her clothing when they launched weather balloons — they would soak the batteries and sometimes that liquid would spill.
He was right.
“We are going to miss him so much,” Miller said. “Any time we have a new hire or an intern, I have them sit with Lee. Whoever replaces him will have big shoes to fill.”
Hendricks began as a meteorologist and then became an hydrologist, someone who forecasts the rivers and lakes for the region through studying the movement of water above and below the surface. He does a daily river forecast. Hendricks said his job has always been challenging because of the varying Pittsburgh weather.
He recalled the saying, “If you don’t like the weather in Pittsburgh, hang around, it will change.”
One of the most important things he has learned is to be careful in predicting a record for anything.
“It’s a record for a reason,” he said. “Take last week, for example. The temperature reached 94, which came close to the record of 95. But it wasn’t a record.”
He recalled record rainfall during Hurricane Ivan in 2004. It followed Hurricane Frances. There were six inches of rain at the Pittsburgh International Airport. The river waters crested to 31 feet. Water reached the railroad tracks at Station Square on Pittsburgh’s South Side, PNC Park and Acrisure Stadium’s playing fields on the North Shore. Point State Park in Downtown was flooded.
When Hurricane Sandy came through in 2012, Hendricks said three models had it not being a strong storm. A fourth model had it correct.
”Everyone — and that included our office — used those that were in agreement until Sandy began deviating,” Hendricks said. “Then we all went with the rogue model with varying degrees of speed. It was an incredible situation. I’ve never heard of anything like it before, let alone seen it.”
The meteorology field will keep you humble, he said.
“You will not win every time — unfortunately,” Hendricks said. “Wish I could say I went with the rogue model, but I didn’t. I do remember that it was remarkably consistent from one model run to the next, which for an outlying model is very rare.”
Water needs to be respected, Hendricks said.
“Four inches of moving water can move a 4,000-pound car,” he said. “Every year, people are killed because they think they can drive through water. It’s not worth your life and it often puts someone else in danger because they have to rescue you. Find another way. Turn around. Don’t drown.”
Same with snow, he said. If you don’t have to go out, don’t go out.
That is, unless you are the weatherman.
“In this business,” he said, “weather is not an excuse to not show up for work.”
JoAnne Klimovich Harrop is a TribLive reporter covering the region’s diverse culinary scene and unique homes. She writes features about interesting people. The Edward R. Murrow award-winning journalist began her career as a sports reporter. She has been with the Trib for 26 years and is the author of “A Daughter’s Promise.” She can be reached at jharrop@triblive.com.
