Beloved former NBC4 chief meteorologist Jym Ganahl has passed away, according to his family’s announcement on Tuesday. The 76-year-old died of natural causes on February 3, and his family chose to keep his passing private until after his funeral service.
Ganahl had an impressive nearly 60-year career as a meteorologist serving the Columbus area. He got his start in weather reporting at the age of 17—before even beginning college—when he reached out to the news director at his hometown station in Waterloo, Iowa.
He joined NBC4 (then known by its call letters, WCMH) in 1979 and became a key member of the 1980s news team known as “Doug, Mona, Jimmy and Jym,” alongside anchors Doug Adair, Mona Scott, and sports anchor Jimmy Crum. Additionally, he was instrumental in bringing on the station’s second meteorologist, Ben Gelber—often referred to as his longtime partner in weather reporting—who has remained with NBC4 for over 40 years. Although Ganahl delivered his final on-air forecast on NBC4 on September 1, 2016, he continued working with the station until July 2017. After a brief retirement, he returned in a part-time role at WSYX/WTTE before finally stepping down last March.
Ganahl was renowned for his extensive weather knowledge, embracing both modern science and traditional weather lore—like estimating temperatures by counting cricket chirps and adding 40, or predicting that three snowfalls would follow the first forsythia bloom each year. He is survived by two daughters and seven grandchildren.