Forecast for Houston Weather Icon Frank Billingsley: Retirement

HOUSTON – For nearly 30 years, KPRC 2 Chief Meteorologist Frank Billingsley has provided valuable and life-saving information to the Houston community during severe weather.

Today, he announced that he was hanging up his weather sensor and starting a new chapter in his life, that of retirement.

Frank will be with KPRC 2 until June before embarking on this new journey.

Frank joined KPRC 2 as chief meteorologist in February 1995. He shared some of his proudest moments and stories during that time, including the 1994 San Jacinto River floods, Tropical Storm Allison, And much more.

“Then there was Rita, when everyone wanted to escape and there were a lot of traffic problems, we were there for them, and then Ike in 2008, I think he was probably one of the biggest because it was a nasty hurricane, Ike really came in and although technically a Category 2, it had the pressure, the buildup and the rain of a three,” Billingsley said “Harvey in 2017. , it was of biblical proportions, so no one will ever forget it. And then we had frost, but also heat and drought in 2011.”

Frank has received numerous awards and recognitions during his time at KPRC 2. He was named a “Houston Treasure” in 2018 and a “Houston Legend” by Houston CityBook in 2021. Frank’s career includes Best Meteorologist awards of the Associated Press, the Houston Press Club, the Houston Press newspaper and the Dallas Press Club. In 2020, Frank became an honorary admiral in the Texas Navy, the highest honor the Texas governor can bestow on a citizen for community service.

Frank has been with us through the best of times and through times of struggle and difficulty. In September 2018, he was diagnosed with prostate cancer. He shared his journey with KPRC 2 during his eight-month battle. Thanks to a clinical trial that injected gold into his body to fight cancer cells, Frank beat the disease. Since then, he has become a champion of men’s health by sharing his own experiences.

“Don’t wait,” Billingsley said at the time of his diagnosis. “When you get a regular blood test, it’s very simple, just an extra vial of blood, and they test it and see what your PSA is. This doesn’t guarantee you have cancer, it just means something is going on that they need to check, and you need to see a urologist about it.

Billingsley says although he won’t be on television, he looks forward to spending more time with the community during his retirement.

“When you’re tied to a live TV show Monday through Friday and then galas and parties and dinners and fundraisers and all those things that happen at night Monday through Friday, you can’t not really participate, you can make a quick appearance, but you can’t really be a part of it in the community, so I’m looking forward to being a part of it in the community,” he said.

Billingsley says he couldn’t have done it all without KPRC 2 viewers and the Houston community.

“I thank you all, Houston, for your love, your support, your loyalty, for trusting in me all these decades to bring you what are, as we know, life-defining events. You have to decide by looking at me what your next step will be and trusting me is an honor beyond words,” he said. “So thanks, don’t worry, I’ll leave you with a great weather team.”

Congratulations to Frank and best wishes for the next chapter of his life. Thank you for being such a great colleague and friend all these years and for sharing your heart of gold with all of us here at KPRC 2.