Justin Sacher

Like all meteorologists, CBS47’s Justin Sacher loves to chase storms. But he says people don’t believe him when he says the daily forecasting process is even more thrilling.

“It’s like a great card game. You’ve got all these players, other TV stations, private forecasting services, even the government all at the table. We each place our bets and everybody finds out who is right the next day. Then we play again!”

A love for science and numbers runs in Justin’s family. His grandfather, George Sacher, worked on the Manhattan Project where he earned the nickname “the human calculator.” “When my dad was little, scientists like Albert Einstein came over for dinner. At work they’d tackle complicated problems at a chalkboard while other scientists fed the same problem to a computer. Computers were new back then and somebody needed to check their work for mistakes. If my grandfather and the computer both got the same answer, they knew it was right and moved on to the next problem.”

While at CBS47, Justin has made major modifications to the station’s weather computers. His programs not only help CBS47 provide the most accurate forecast around, they provide proof. Every day the computers record and score the previous day’s forecast, as well as those from all other area TV stations. CBS47 publishes the results here.

“In the most agriculturally productive county in the nation, the stakes are high – millions of dollars can rest on just one degree. People have so many places to get their weather with dozens, maybe hundreds of sources online now. What’s funny is how different each forecast is – even those from other TV stations. We’re proud to be the most accurate. It took the right combination of hard work, commitment, and luck!”

Before coming to CBS47 in 2008, Justin worked in the middle of Tornado Alley as a meteorologist for WHO-TV in Des Moines, Iowa. Justin grew up in Iowa, Tennessee, North Carolina and Illinois. He earned his bachelors of science in Journalism at the University of Illinois and completed his certification in meteorology at Mississippi State University. Justin earned the distinguished Seal of Approval of the American Meteorological Society. Despite insisting everyone always recycle everything, he’s still happily married and lives in Fresno’s Tower District. You’ll likely spot him at local events benefiting animal shelters and rescues.

Justin loves to share weather photos and updates from viewers. Reach him by email at jsacher@cbsfresno.com or @justinsacher on Twitter.