“I thank all of you, Houston, for your love”
HOUSTON – For nearly 30 years, KPRC 2 Chief Meteorologist Frank Billingsley has been providing valuable, life-saving information to the Houston community when severe weather strikes.
Now, he has announced he is hanging up his weather clicker and beginning a new chapter in his life, retirement.
40 things to know about Frank Billingsley
Frank will be with KPRC 2 through the month of June before moving onto this new journey.
Frank joined KPRC 2 as Chief Meteorologist in February 1995. He shared some of the moments and coverage he was most proud of during this time, including the San Jacinto River floods of 1994, Tropical Storm Allison, and more.
Read more about Frank Billingsley here.
“Then there was Rita, when everyone wanted to escape and there was a lot of traffic issues, we were there then for them and then Ike in 2008, I think that was probably one of the biggest because that was a mean hurricane, Ike really came in and although technically a category 2, it had the pressure and the surge and the rain of a three,” Billingsley said. “Harvey in 2017, that was biblical proportions, so no one will ever forget that. And then we had the freeze and we also had the heat and drought in 2011.”
A closer look at the 13th Annual Frank Billingsley Golf Classic
Frank has picked up numerous awards and accolades 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 Weathercaster awards from 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 governor of Texas can bestow on a citizen for community service.
Frank Billingsley talks about his prostate cancer diagnosis
Frank has been with us during the best of times and during times of struggle and hardship. In September 2018, he was diagnosed with prostate cancer. He shared his journey with KPRC 2 during his eight-month long battle. Thanks to a clinical trial that injected gold into his body to fight the cancer cells, Frank beat the disease. Since then, he has become a champion of men’s health through sharing his own experience.
“Don’t wait,” Billingsley said at the time of his diagnosis. “When you go for a regular blood screening, it’s very simple, just one more vial of blood, and they test it and see what your PSA is. That doesn’t guarantee you have cancer, that just means something is going on and they need to check, and you need to see a urologist about it.”
An update on KPRC2 chief meteorologist Frank Billingsley’s cancer battle
Billingsley says even though he won’t be on television, he is looking forward to spending more time with the community during his retirement.
“When you are tied to a live TV show Monday through Friday, then galas and parties and dinners and fundraisers and all of those things that happen at night Monday through Friday, you don’t get to really participate, you can make a quick appearance, but you don’t really get to be a part of that in the community, so I’m looking forward to being a part of that in the community,” he said.
Watch Derrick Shore and Frank Billingsley go head-to-head in the ‘Oh No Oreo’ game
Billingsley says he could not have done everything without the KPRC 2 viewers and the Houston community.
“I thank all of you, Houston, for your love, your support, your loyalty, for having the confidence in me all of these decades to bring you what is, as we know, life-decision making events. You have to decide by watching me what’s going to be your next step and to trust me with that is a honor beyond words,” he said. “So thank you, not to worry, I’m leaving you with a great weather team.”
Congratulations to Frank and best wishes for the next chapter in his life. Thank you for being such a great colleague and friend for all these years and for sharing your heart of gold with all of us here at KPRC 2.
Did you know Frank Billingsley has a tattoo? Find out if he’s lying.
Follow Frank's Weather or Not Blog.
Copyright 2024 by KPRC Click2Houston - All rights reserved.
