Win Generator, Not Beloved Miami Weatherman

PALMETTO BAY, FL — At first glance, you might think that beloved Miami weatherman Bryan Norcross is part of the raffle prize for Saturday's hurricane Lunch and Learn. Norcross is only the featured speaker. Village officials will be giving away an $800 silent generator to some lucky attendee despite the proximity of Norcross' photo to the phrase "win me" on the event flyer.

Twenty-five years ago, Norcross remained on the air for all but one hour short of a full day at the local NBC affiliate in Miami and helped countless South Floridians make sense of the unimaginable devastation caused by Hurricane Andrew. More recently, Norcross shared 30 years of insights into hurricanes with a national television audience during The Weather Channel's coverage of Hurricane Irma.

Having recently joined local ABC affiliate WPLG Local 10 in Miami, Norcross will be speaking at the front courtyard of Palmetto Bay Village Hall. The event runs from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. though it was not immediately clear what time Norcross would speak.

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Village officials are offering free food and beverages while supplies last. The event will also feature a number of vendors and representatives from various government agencies.

In the days leading up to Irma's arrival, Norcross feared that the 400-mile-wide storm might be worse than Andrew, which destroyed 63,000 homes and left at least 175,000 homeless.

"The storm made a kind of a lean to the right," Norcross told Patch in the hours after Irma passed South Florida. "It stalled near Cuba, and that changed the timing. It got more dry air mixed in it, which is a negative factor for it." He added that Irma will probably be compared to Hurricane Wilma rather than Andrew.

Norcross chronicled his recollections of the only Category 5 storm to strike a major U.S. metropolitan area in his book, "My Hurricane Andrew Story."

For more information on Saturday's event visit www.palmettobay-fl.gov. Village Hall is located at 9705 East Hibiscus Street.

Photo courtesy village of Palmetto Bay.