On September 26, 2014, the greatest meteorologist New Jersey has ever known hung up his headphones and Doppler radar, a much-deserved retirement after 22+ years at New Jersey 101.5.
Alan Kasper was a legend in both radio and television weather. Known for his unrivaled accuracy (especially for snow storms), limitless dedication, and easy-going yet authoritative style. There will never be another Alan.
After a long search process, Alan’s replacement was chosen. A bright-eyed, bushy-tailed Certified Broadcast Meteorologist working for the NJ State Climate Office and News 12 New Jersey.
Me.
Then and now. Left: September 2014. Right: September 2024. (Dan Zarrow, Townsquare Media)
Then and now. Left: September 2014. Right: September 2024. (Dan Zarrow, Townsquare Media)
I fully recognized then (and now) the enormity of the shoes I had to fill as New Jersey’s Chief Meteorologist, the prominence of the legacy New Jersey 101.5 brand, and the importance of communicating critical weather information to our huge statewide audience.
My job is at the confluence of three very tough, demanding, competitive industries: Radio, Digital Media, and Weather. When New Jersey’s weather turns nasty, the stress is indescribable. When something goes wrong at work, frustration levels can be off the chart. The early morning hours are exhausting. And being on-call 24/7/365 adds a lot of pressure. (Pun semi-intended.)
But I still sit down in the weather center every day with a deep passion for weather, for my home state of New Jersey, and for helping my thousands of listeners plan their day and stay safe.
Post-storm coverage from the weather center, in my comfy post-storm hoodie. (Dan Zarrow, Townsquare Media)
Post-storm coverage from the weather center, in my comfy post-storm hoodie. (Dan Zarrow, Townsquare Media)
I can not believe I have now worked for New Jersey 101.5 and Townsquare Media a full decade. More than half of my 18-year career as a professional broadcast meteorologist.
In that time, I estimate I have created well over 100,000 live and recorded pieces of on-air weather content across all the radio stations in the Townsquare Media New Jersey family. Of course, that is on top of the 3,887 (and counting) articles I have written for the web. Wow.
CHECK IT OUT: Dan Zarrow’s Weather Blog
I have grown and changed a lot over the last ten years. I now have a wife. And a house. And four sons. And a lot more gray hairs.
To celebrate and commemorate this important work-iversary, I decided to create a list of my top ten favorite memories here. Some of them are big storms. Some of them are fun morning show antics. And some are deeply meaningful and impactful events that were extra-special to me.
Before I dive in to the countdown, I owe a huge thanks to all those who continue to support me in this crazy job. From my family to my listeners to my coworkers to my managers to my clients to my meteorological colleagues far and wide.
Here we go, my top ten memories listed in chronological order:
Alan Kasper having a deep meteorological conversation with Dan Zarrow. (New Jersey 101.5)
Alan Kasper having a deep meteorological conversation with Dan Zarrow. (New Jersey 101.5)September 26, 2014: The Beginning
I was so lucky to train with Alan for a month before his departure. Not only was there a lot to learn about the logistics of producing dozens of daily weathercasts, I got to really pick his brain about his forecasting methodology and philosophy. The big transition day was very long and intensely emotional.
As if that wasn’t enough life-changing excitement for one day, I went home that Friday evening to learn that my then-fiancee was pregnant with our first son. He turns ten next year.
MORE: Alan Kasper announces retirement
The aftermath of the late January 2015 nor’easter, which dumped about 2 inches of snow outside the New Jersey 101.5 super studios. (Dan Zarrow, Townsquare Media)
The aftermath of the late January 2015 nor’easter, which dumped about 2 inches of snow outside the New Jersey 101.5 super studios. (Dan Zarrow, Townsquare Media)January 26-27, 2015: The Blizzard That Wasn’t
In late January 2015, a powerful nor’easter was forecast to heavily impact New Jersey with snow, wind, and travel headaches galore. It was my first big weather event at 101.5. My first chance to show the audience my prowess in forecasting and communicating storm information.
Final forecast: 18 to 24 inches for a wide swath of New Jersey.
Final snowfall totals: Up to 9 inches on the ground. Only a dusting in some spots. Ouch.
Look, I didn’t say all these memorable moments were good ones. Behind the scenes, I took a lot of heat for that forecast busting so badly — my only saving grace is that every other area forecaster was equally fooled. There is a silver lining here: The “blizzard that wasn’t” served as a tremendous learning experience for every single winter storm I have covered since.
MORE: 3 lessons learned from the non-blizzard of 2015
The sunrises on Battleship New Jersey and Chief Meteorologist Dan Zarrow. (Dan Zarrow, Townsquare Media)
The sunrises on Battleship New Jersey and Chief Meteorologist Dan Zarrow. (Dan Zarrow, Townsquare Media)May 22, 2015: Battleship New Jersey
The New Jersey 101.5 morning show only hit the road once for a group live broadcast. Ever. Aboard Battleship New Jersey, on the Friday before Memorial Day Weekend 2025. The venerable Jim Gearhart, a Navy veteran, was host at the time. And our entire news, weather, traffic, and production team traveled down to Camden for the show.
Unfortunately, that broadcast was plagued by technical difficulties. Apparently Wifi and wireless microphone signals do not travel very well on a 1940s era battleship. We finally hit the airwaves an hour later than scheduled, and the rest of the show was great.
My favorite highlight: Playing Battleship the board game with NJ Traffic North’s own Bob Williams.
MORE: A special invitation to the NJ101.5 Memorial Day broadcast
Attendees of 2015’s Meteorology Day received an autographed picture and an official “Junior Meteorologist” certificate. (Dan Zarrow, Townsquare Media)
Attendees of 2015’s Meteorology Day received an autographed picture and an official “Junior Meteorologist” certificate. (Dan Zarrow, Townsquare Media)October 17, 2015: Meteorology Day
Over the course of my career, I have talked to hundreds of school and community groups. It is one of my favorite things to do, coming out from behind the microphone to share my passion for weather and climate. (And unfortunately, an activity I do not have much time for these days.)
One of the best such presentations I have hosted was at a car dealership on a random Saturday in October 2015. Seriously! After weeks of planning and promotion, over 100 kids and adults came out. I gave a great talk, I signed tons of autographs, we gave out tons of prizes, and the client walked away with a throng of new admirers and potential customers.
(P.S. If you own a business and would like to replicate the success of Meteorology Day, please reach out!)
MORE: Dan Zarrow prepares for Meteorology Day
A mid-storm report during the Blizzard of 2016 in Ewing, N.J. (Dan Zarrow, Townsquare Media)
A mid-storm report during the Blizzard of 2016 in Ewing, N.J. (Dan Zarrow, Townsquare Media)January 22-24, 2016: Blizzard of 2016 Sleepover
Almost exactly one year after the “Blizzard That Wasn’t” I wrote about above, New Jersey got smacked with one of its biggest winter storms ever recorded. All but far southern NJ picked up over a foot of fresh snow. Over 30 inches accumulated in North Jersey.
Given the impossible travel conditions, our entire contingent of weekend hosts and news personnel had a massive sleepover at the radio station for several days. I was basically camped-out in the air studio with Big Joe Henry for the duration. It was an exhausting weekend, but truly fulfilling.
MORE: Blizzard of 2016 recap, a full season of snow in one shot
Sea lion, meet Dan. Dan, sea lion. (Dan Zarrow, Townsquare Media)
Sea lion, meet Dan. Dan, sea lion. (Dan Zarrow, Townsquare Media)June 2017: Great Adventure Animals
Over the last decade, I have been lucky to have a close partnership with Six Flags Great Adventure. That is very special as the park is located in my hometown of Jackson Township, and I spent five summers in high school and college working there.
I became a zombie. I presented a weather seminar for 300 scouts. I hosted (and participated in) the first-ever Polar Coaster ride on a frigid Nitro roller coaster. And I attended media day events for the openings of Justice League, Jersey Devil, Medusa, and Fright Fest.
But my favorite work visit to SFGA has to be a behind-the-scenes exclusive getting to know some of Great Adventure’s animal superstars.
I got to kiss a pair of California sea lions, Dichali and Anoki. (Fun fact: They were very curious and confused about my beard.) I met Joyce the elephant, who painted me a very special picture that still hangs in my home office. I fed some giraffes in the Wild Safari Park. And I helped wrangle some very frisky and uppity pygmy goats. It was an amazing day with some amazing animals and their amazing handlers and trainers.
MORE: Six Flags sea lions, amazing skills and great kissers
Piff and Dan. With Mr. Piffles the dog, of course. (Dan Zarrow, Townsquare Media)
Piff and Dan. With Mr. Piffles the dog, of course. (Dan Zarrow, Townsquare Media)September 29, 2017: Piff the Magic Dragon
I have been a fan of Penn & Teller forever, including their “Fool Us” TV series. So when Piff the Magic Dragon (also of America’s Got Talent fame) visited our radio station to promote his New Brunswick show, I was tickled. I even got to hold Mr. Piffles!
The highlight of the morning came as “Piff” learned my great-uncle was famous magician Herb Zarrow, who invented a sleight of hand technique known as the Zarrow Shuffle. And right there, on the spot, Piff demonstrated it for me. So cool.
MORE: Abracadabra: Spadea turns into worst magician assistant ever
The news, digital, and management teams pose for a photo at the NJ101.5 newsroom ribbon-cutting ceremony. (Jen Ursillo, Townsquare Media)
The news, digital, and management teams pose for a photo at the NJ101.5 newsroom ribbon-cutting ceremony. (Jen Ursillo, Townsquare Media)October 15, 2019: NJ101.5 Newsroom Ribbon Cutting
At 10:15 a.m. on 10/15, the ribbon was cut to officially open New Jersey 101.5’s new newsroom. A massive renovation included investments in space and technology to create a modern workspace for our entire news and digital team. Including me — I finally got my very own desk and weather center!
The grand opening gala was a star-studded affair, featuring our entire staff, former employees, and dignitaries.
VIDEO: Tour of NJ101.5’s new newsroomSeptember 1, 2021: Ida
One of the worst nights of my career. And one of only two times in my life I pulled an all-nighter, staying awake (and at work) for about 30 hours.
We knew the remnants of Hurricane Ida were coming toward New Jersey. And we knew it would be severe. (I even canceled my end-of-summer vacation to return for storm coverage.) But I don’t think anyone thought 10+ inches of rain would fall in a few hours, causing catastrophic, historic, record flooding. Sadly, 32 people lost their lives in New Jersey from Ida.
My original plan was to drive from home to the radio station after dinner to cover the late night brunt of the storm. But as a powerful tornado struck Mullica Hill in the early evening hours, I opted to skip the commute and cover the storm from my home studio. For 16 hours, I gave regular updates as I heard and watched our basement sump pump rise just a few feet behind me. (We were lucky, as the water stopped rising about two inches from the top.)
Following Ida, we revamped our entire system of internal communications before and during severe weather events. Again, making every weather event — even the devastating ones — an opportunity to learn and evolve.
MORE: Ida’s impact, county by countyJune 2023: Smoke
Last but not least, one of the weirdest atmospheric events I have ever covered. As wildfires in Quebec, Canada burned hot and heavy throughout June 2023, thick smoke was transported south into New Jersey. The air turned orange, the smell was intense, and New Jersey’s air quality was at its worst level in decades. I consulted with dozens of businesses, event planners, and school districts that month to determine whether outdoor events could happen, or whether the air was just too hazardous. It was wild.
Even the weather was heavily affected. Temperatures and sky conditions were practically unpredictable that week, since those numbers were so dependent on smoke and visibility. I had to dig out my old college notebooks for Atmospheric Air Pollution class to bone-up on smoke dynamics and communicating air quality emergencies.
MORE: NJ’s choking smoke and crazy haze11 reasons why storm chasing in NJ is a very, very bad idea
Gallery Credit: Dan Zarrow
Dan Zarrow is Chief Meteorologist for Townsquare Media New Jersey. Check out Dan’s weather blog or follow him on Facebook for your latest weather forecast updates.
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