Dallas Raines: Four Decades as the Face of los Angeles weather
A beloved meteorologist’s enduring career began with a childhood fascination with the raw power of nature, and continues to captivate audiences across Southern California.
In a closet. A tornado watch in his hometown of Thomaston, Georgia, sent sixth-graders scrambling for shelter, but Raines lingered, mesmerized by the approaching funnel cloud and the sight of giant pecan trees felled like seedlings. “Something just changed for me,” Raines recalled. “I thought, ‘How can nature do this?'”
That childhood wonder has fueled a remarkable 41-year career as chief meteorologist at ABC7 in Los Angeles, a tenure rivaled by few in broadcast journalism. Raines, now 72, continues to ask those same questions, albeit with a wealth of accumulated knowledge. His longevity places him in rare company; a Texas weathercaster logged 41 years at a single station before retiring in 1991, while Dick Goddard holds the record with 51 years at WJW Channel 8 in Cleveland before his 2016 retirement.
“I still love it,” Raines said during an interview at the ABC7 studio in Glendale on Wednesday.”At this point in my career, it’s kind of like I’ll do whatever I can, if it helps the station.”
A Familiar Face in the L.A. Landscape
Raines has become a fixture in the Los Angeles area. The station celebrated his 40-year milestone in 2024 with an on-air tribute featuring a diverse array of celebrities.late-night host jimmy Kimmel recounted a personal anecdote, describing how he contacted Raines when a thunderstorm threatened his wedding in Ojai. “I called dallas and I said, ‘Dallas, please, is there anything you could do?'” Kimmel shared. “And Dallas went outside on this front lawn… He looked up at the sky and he shouted at the thunderclouds, ‘Go away! I beseech thee!’ And the sky cleared, we had a beautiful wedding thanks to the power of Mr. Dallas Raines.”
Colleagues playfully mimic Raines’ signature fist pump and his characteristic crouch while analyzing weather maps on the green screen. Viewers can see him weekdays during newscasts at 4 p.m., 5 p.m., 6 p.m., and 11 p.m., frequently enough appearing in as many as 13 segments across those four broadcasts, with only brief respite at his home in La Cañada Flintridge before returning to Glendale for the late news.
“You are Los Angeles weather,” Lisa Ann walter of television’s “Abbott Elementary” declared in the tribute video. “You’re mostly sunny and sometimes a little windy.”
Following in the Footsteps of Dr. Fischbeck
Raines’ path to becoming a trusted voice in Southern California weather was paved by those who came before him. Dr. George Fischbeck, a beloved KABC weatherman known for his energetic delivery and distinctive appearance, set a high bar. “those shows were incredibly compelling,” Raines said. “and that’s what I’ve tried to carry through all of these years.”
Raines, a married father of three, frequently enough fields questions about the relevance of a meteorologist in a region known for its mild climate. “No, we don’t have hurricanes, or only two in recorded history,” he clarified, referencing the 1858 San Diego storm and the 1939 Long Beach tropical storm (which was downgraded by the time it made landfall). “But we have all these microclimates. People have completely different ideas onc they’ve lived here and seen it.”
He emphasized the potential for serious weather events, recalling the deadly 2018 Montecito mudslides that claimed 23 lives and the devastating wind-driven fires that ravaged Altadena, Pacific Palisades, and Malibu this year. “Make no mistake,” Raines asserted, “the weather is really a big deal.”
