Uploaded October 2025 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago
In late July through early August 1980, Category 5 Hurricane Allen made a northwesterly b-line for the Texas coastal regions, making landfall near Brownsville, Texas. At the time, John Coleman, a broadcast meteorologist and eventual founder of The Weather Channel, worked both at ABC affiliate WLS Channel 7 in Chicago and on the relatively new program, Good Morning America. This is his "video diary" of the events utilizing local weather radar (pre-WSR 88D), satellite and video technology. Primitive by today's standards and quite commonplace with live weather streamers in 2025, this approach was quite fresh in 1980.
Information on Hurricane Allen: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hurricane_Allen
NOAA: weather.gov/lch/1980Allen
Video © 1980 ABC News, Good Morning America.
In late July through early August 1980, Category 5 Hurricane Allen made a northwesterly b-line for the Texas coastal regions, making landfall near Brownsville, Texas. At the time, John Coleman, a broadcast meteorologist and eventual founder of The Weather Channel, worked both at ABC affiliate WLS Channel 7 in Chicago and on the relatively new program, Good Morning America. This is his "video diary" of the events utilizing local weather radar (pre-WSR 88D), satellite and video technology. Primitive by today's standards and quite commonplace with live weather streamers in 2025, this approach was quite fresh in 1980.
Information on Hurricane Allen: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hurricane_Allen
NOAA: weather.gov/lch/1980Allen
Video © 1980 ABC News, Good Morning America.
