Chief Meteorologist Betsy Kling's Emmy award winning forecasts can be seen on the Monday through Friday editions of Channel 3 News at 6, 7 and 11 PM, on wkyc.com, and can be heard on Clear Channel radio stations throughout northern Ohio including WTAM 1100AM.
Her industry awards include a 2012 Emmy Award for News: Weathercast for "Christmas 2012: 'Twas the Night Before the Blizzard", a 2009 Emmy Award for Crafts: Weather, and a 2003 Emmy Award for Team Effort News Event Coverage of the Columbia Shuttle Tragedy. She also gathered nominations for Emmy Awards for News: Weathercast in 2012 and 2008; and Crafts: Weather in 2012, 2011, 2010, and 2005. In 2007 Betsy was awarded first place by the Ohio Associated Press for Best Regularly Scheduled Weather.
Betsy is part of a small group of women in the country who have earned the prestigious Certified Broadcast Meteorologist (CBM) accreditation from the American Meteorological Society, as well as the Seal of Approval from the National Weather Association (NWA). She is a full member of both professional organizations.
Additionally, she is active in the NWA and sits on several committees, including the Broadcast Meteorology Committee, and is an evaluator for Seal of Approval applicants. She also organizes fundraisers to support NWA college scholarships for aspiring meteorologists. Previously Betsy was elected as a NWA Councilor and was honored with the National Weather Association's Member of the Year award for 2004. In 2015, she received a Special Achievement Award all of her fundraising efforts over the years.
Readers of Cleveland Magazine chose Betsy as the "Best of Cleveland" Weather Forecaster for 2015, and the popular publication featured her on the cover of the "City List" issue in April, 2011. In 2010 Cleveland Magazine named her one of Cleveland's Most Interesting People. Previously she was named Jacksonville Magazine's Best of Real People in 2002.
In November of 2015, Betsy was given one of the highest honors in Northeast Ohio media - The Chuck Heaton Award from The Press Club of Cleveland. Betsy is the eighth recipient of the award. It is given to an individual who best exemplifies the qualities of Chuck Heaton, the late Plain Dealer reporter and Press Club Hall of Famer who passed away in February 2008. Heaton was known for his lifelong dedication to journalism, his fairness, his concern for community and helping others.
Betsy is very active in the community and often speaks at schools and civic organization meetings. She gives her time to several charities in the area including the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, American Red Cross, American Heart Association, University Hospitals, Rainbow Babies and Children's Hospital, Hands Foundation of Medina and Cleveland and Akron zoos. The Hattie Larlham organization, which cares for and promotes the independence of people with disabilities named her to the Rudolph H. Garfield Circle of Caring in 2012, as well as having honored her with a 2004 Media Service Award.
She is passionate about teaching children of all ages about the weather and created and produces Channel 3's Weather Education Day every year with the Cleveland Indians.
Betsy was born and raised right here in northern Ohio. Her hometown, Copley, is in Summit County just to the west of Akron. After graduating from Copley High School she went to Bowling Green State University where she earned her journalism degree and a minor in meteorology. She finished her remaining meteorology coursework through Mississippi State University. Betsy worked in Fort Wayne, Indiana and Jacksonville, Florida before coming home.
Betsy is married to former WKYC reporter Paul Thomas and the couple welcomed daughter Josie to the world in 2008. Baby number two, Violette, arrived in early March, 2015. When she has time, Betsy enjoys competitive tennis, reading, fishing, and just enjoying nature and all of its wonders.
You can E-mail her at betsykling@wkyc.com, friend her on Facebook and follow her on Twitter!