Joel Bartlett, Longtime Bay Area Meteorologist, Dies At 81

SANTA ROSA, CA — Joel Bartlett, who worked as a meteorologist for more than three decades at KPIX and KGO-TV, has died. He was 81.

Bartlett died Thursday night at his home in Santa Rosa surrounded by his family and animals, KGO reported.

Bartlett joined the U.S. Air Force in the 1960s and became a meteorologist. He became a familiar weatherman in the region, working at KPIX for 14 years from 1974 to 1989, and then spent 17 years at KGO-TV, retiring in 2006. Following his retirement, Bartlett focused his time on helping charities in the North Bay, according to KGO.

The day before Bartlett's death, London Breed, the mayor of San Francisco, declared the day “Joel Bartlett Day,” to honor the weatherman's career in the Bay Area.

Bartlett told the San Francisco/Northern California Chapter of The National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences that one of the defining moments in his life was a weather-related scare in the Pacific Ocean, near San Francisco.

At the time, Bartlett was 33, living in Marin County and working as a meteorologist for PG&E, KPIX reported. Despite a forecast calling for rough weather, he and a friend sailed — and became caught in the storm.

"The boat washed up on some rocks, and we were shipwrecked," he said.

But they survived, making it back to shore. He shared the story at a local yacht club, and the tale earned him a brief, 13-week contract at KPIX, where he would stay until 1989.

Bartlett was remembered on social media as a "favorite to millions."

"One of the nicest guys in TV. He will be missed," Kevin Wing of NBC Bay Area tweeted.

Dan Noyes, who anchored the weekend news with Bartlett at KGO, said he loved working with the weatherman.

"Always a sunny disposition and enjoyed a good pun. He lifted my spirits. A truly unique, wonderful and warm guy," Noyes tweeted.

Wendy Tokuda called Bartlett a sweet presence, and a gentle, kind man.

"We had our best chats in the quiet moments on the set before the newscast," she wrote in a Facebook post. "He would write down his notes for the day on a paper in large letters and tape it to a desk where he could see it while he was on the air. At the end of the weather, he would always toss his pen. Always."

Tokuda called him a "REAL meteorologist — not just playing one on TV." She remembered Bartlett as a man who rarely swore — a sometimes uncommon trait in newsrooms, where curses are regularly tossed around.

She recalled a newscast Bartlett performed with his beloved horse. As he finished the piece, he galloped away. But the horse wasn't the only element that made the newscast memorable.

"During that weathercast on horseback, Joel's horse was prancing around and he declared it was full of piss and vinegar, before he raced off," she said. "He was suspended for a few days for using the word piss on the air. To be honest, that felt really unnecessary, given his straight-laced, upright, Mr. Science personality."

She added: "But honestly, that part is not the memory that sticks in my mind from that episode. I like thinking of Joel galloping off on that horse he loved so much. That is how I am going to remember him. That, and him tossing his pen."

Photographer Cordetta Spells said she was often assigned to shoot Bartlett's live shots. She never knew what to expect from crowds due to Bartlett's popularity.

"They were some the most memorable, and delightful location liveshots of my entire TV News career," she wrote in a Facebook post. "There will NEVER be another spirit as kind, sweet, and genuine as that held by our Dear Joel Bartlett."

Other tributes poured in from fans and former colleagues as well.

"I had the honor of being part of the team that helped connect Joel Bartlett with thousands of viewers every morning," George Devine wrote in a Facebook post. "Whether it was one of those typical '59 degree San Francisco mornings' or a major storm, Joel provided his viewers with a clear picture of it what to expect. Joel bundled class, humor, and information into his routine. He treated everyone in [the] newsroom with respect. A good broadcaster and greater person!"

"He was always so upbeat and ended every segment saying 'make it a great day' while he threw up and spun his marker in the air and caught it every time. RIP," tweeted user @chrishe10347730.

"When I was 12, I had the pleasure of meeting Joel Bartlett at a science fair," tweeted @GradyFrankJay. "I was sort of a weather dork then. He invited me to intern at KPIX, and let me write the forecast a few times. I’d sit in the studio and watch these four at work. Bless you, Joel. Always my mentor."

You can watch KGO's tribute to Bartlett here.