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Rain or shineLast August, Torontonians were besieged by Noah's Ark-like torrential rains that downed trees, seeped into basements, stalled cars and washed away whole sections of streets. SHARON ASCHAIEK |
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 [ 2005-11-23 ] |
Harold Hosein's laidback style, penchant for props and easy way with a smile introduced a fresh approach to doing weather that worked.
Dumping more than 150 millimetres of rain, it was a storm the likes of which most of us have never experienced before -- including veteran meteorologist Harold Hosein.
37 YEARS
"In my 37 years in the business, I've never seen this much rain, and this many tornado warnings. June 1974 was the last time Toronto had so much rain," he said, slightly stunned, during that evening's CityPulse weather report.
Despite almost four decades of tracking and reporting this city's often-wacky weather trends, it seems Mother Nature can still surprise Hosein. But as his track record shows, he's always up for the job -- rain or shine.
It was the turbulent political climate of his native homeland, Trinidad, that propelled Hosein to move from Trinidad to Toronto in 1967. Living alone in the chilly climes of a big metropolis didn't dampen the spirits of the 27-year-old bachelor, who almost immediately found good work in the field that had first piqued his interest in high school.
"I happened to be walking into Union Station one day, when I saw an ad recruiting for a weather observer for Environment Canada. I responded, was selected, and the rest is what it has been."
Hosein trained in basic weather observing, reporting, mapping and analysing weather phenomena in his new job. The following year Environment Canada appointed him to the Toronto International Airport and trained him in upper air observations.
By 1971, Hosein had begun planting the seeds of what would evolve into a long and colourful media career in weather reporting. With further instruction in advanced metereology, he was able him to work as a weather media consultant on behalf of Environment Canada.
"It was my first foray onto the air," Hosein says. "I did a lot of media work talking to radio, TV, the press, telling them what to say on their nightly casts; occasionally I did live media work."
In 1989, after 21 years with Environment Canada, Hosein finally made the full professional leap to television by joining the news team at Citytv -- and instantly struck a chord with viewers. His laidback style, penchant for props and easy way with a smile introduced a fresh approach to doing weather that worked.
"Some people have a broadcast personality and broadcast voice, but with me, what you see is what you get. That's me, that's my style - it's not anything cultivated."
Along the way, Hosein became certified by the Canadian Meteorological and Oceanographic Society and picked up a gig -- still ongoing -- as a staff meteorologist at 680News radio.
KEY TO SUCCESS
He says the key to his success has been his hands-on approach in analysing and interpreting weather data.
"A lot of the people in this business use a forecast prepared for them by Environment Canada," he says. "I analyse the data myself and make my own judgments for my forecasts. As a result, my forecasts often differ from others' -- they are accurate 90% of the time."
Now 65 and happily married for 34 years with two daughters, Hosein has an eye toward the day he can slow down and spend more time enjoying his hobbies: motor racing, soccer, cricket, fishing and vacationing at his country cottage.
But he's as committed as ever to living up to the advice he often gives to school children during professional visits:
"Do your best at all times," he says. "The person who's hiring wants you to be the best -- if you're not, you probably won't get hired. So prove to be the best at whatever you do."
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