Meteorologist Amy Freeze is part of the launch team for the new, trailblazing FOX Weather streaming service, but she never would have made a career out of presenting weather if it wasn’t for her unique last name.
Freeze, a five-time Emmy award winner, did not grow up with dreams of becoming a meteorologist or a weather forecaster. She wasn’t even particularly interested in watching weather coverage on television, but that changed in the mid-90s when she was working at KPTV in Portland, Oregon.
Meteorologist Amy Freeze, a five-time Emmy award winner, is part of the FOX Weather launch team.
Freeze was fresh off a stint in Los Angeles covering the O.J. Simpson trial as a production assistant when she took a gig writing the news in Portland. Initially, she didn’t even have ambitions of being on television but was quickly promoted to an on-air position covering entertainment.
"I was 21 years old, they were like, ‘Put the young person on TV to talk about movies and music,’" Freeze told Fox News Digital. "And I did, so I was on camera."
Then, a chance circumstance resulted in a new career path for Freeze.
"The main meteorologist had to have heart surgery, and they said, ‘Guess what, your last name is Freeze, go learn to do the weather,’" she explained.
"They sent me up to the weather deck, and it was horrifying because I knew nothing about the weather," Freeze continued. "I can remember it clear as day, being up on the weather deck overlooking the Willamette River and having them be like, ‘OK, so here come the maps. Go ahead, talk about the weather.’"
Amy Freeze in 1997 at KPTV in Portland, Oregon on the weather deck which was overlooking the Willamette River.
Despite being petrified, Freeze embraced the challenge and grew to adore presenting weather to viewers.
"I fell in love with it. I thought, this is a match, Freeze is my last name, I can do weather but I really have to figure out what it’s about," she said. "Two days later I enrolled in Portland State University for introduction to meteorology so that I could learn the weather while I was filling in. I just dove head-first."
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Freeze, a former Brigham Young University cheerleader, eventually earned her second degree, a Master’s in environmental science. She said it’s endearing when people ask if her last name is authentic, and she’s often approached by curious people wondering if it’s a stage name.
"I say, ‘Go ahead and tweet my dad, he’s Mr. Freeze, you can verify. He named me Amy and I am his daughter,’" she said. "It’s my real name."
Freeze has since covered the weather in Portland, Denver, Philadelphia, Chicago and New York. She has covered everything from extreme snow in Denver to Superstorm Sandy in New York City. On Monday, she helped launch FOX Weather, a state-of-the-art app that uses multiple radar systems to inform its audience of all-things weather.
The FOX Weather app features a cutting-edge 3D radar and the unprecedented FOX FutureView, a tool that allows users to plan several months ahead by keeping track of advanced weather forecasts.
DOWNLOAD THE BRAND-NEW FOX WEATHER APP HERE
FOX Weather is a new streaming service dedicated to the weather. (istock)
FOX Weather also uses new technology to deliver severe weather alerts for tornadoes, thunderstorms, flooding, and other weather conditions that will help keep users safe and informed. The ad-supported service is free for users.
"There is an appetite [for weather content] out there that the Fox platform is going to deliver to people, and that's very exciting. To be a part of that from the beginning, what an opportunity," Freeze said.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
FOX Weather is available at foxweather.com and through the FOX Weather app for iOS and Android. FOX Weather is also available on Internet-connected TVs via FOX NOW and the FOX News app.
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