FOX 5's Matthew Cappucci named 2023 Weather Person of the Year

Matthew Cappucci named 2023 Weather Person of the Year

FOX 5's Matthew Cappucci has been named 2023 Weather Person of the Year by the Federal Alliance for Safe Homes!

It's a big day at FOX 5, as we are celebrating our own Matthew Cappucci being named 2023 Weather Person of the Year!

The Federal Alliance for Safe Homes made the announcement on Friday citing "Matthew's forecasting excellence and clever and innovative approach to using social media to educate others on disaster safety."

The award committee also praised Matthew for his ability to engage audiences and deliver forecasts in succinct ways that "help people understand what's happening while learning something new."

"It is with great honor that we recognize Matthew for his dedication to bringing a new generation into the disaster safety and resilience movement through his innovative and multi-platform approach to weather awareness and education," said FLASH President and CEO Leslie Chapman-Henderson. "He is creative, caring, and committed to helping his viewers, followers, and students become weather aware to stay safe. Congratulations to Matthew and all of our outstanding 2023 National Weatherperson of the Year finalists who serve the public with excellence every day, especially during hurricane season."

Matthew Cappucci sticks tongue to metal pole

Don't try this at home! FOX 5's Matthew Cappucci, despite his extensive education and weather knowledge, decided it would be a good idea to stick his tongue to a metal pole -- in a freezing cold room. Seriously, don't try this at home.

The winner of the award was selected based on qualitative evaluation and public polling. According to the award committee, many of the people polled praised Matthew for his unique approach to explaining the weather.

"Matthew's weather forecasts are fun, informative, and ever-present on social media," said one voter. "He represents a new generation of science communication through an indomitable passion for weather that shines through each of his many projects. His emphasis on education is vital to disaster safety."

WATCH: "Looking Up" with Storm Chasing Weather Nerd Matthew Cappucci

Matthew beat out a crowded field of talented Meteorologists that included Amy Freeze from FOX Weather, Paul Goodloe from The Weather Channel, John Patrick from ABC7 – Fort Myers, and Erik Salna from Extreme Events Institute – FIU.

Matthew graduated from Harvard in 2019 with a degree in atmospheric sciences, and joined FOX 5 in June 2021. During his time at FOX 5 Matthew has covered a wide variety of storms across the country, including chasing down tornadoes in the D.C. region and Midwest.

Hurricane Ian: Matthew Cappucci shares his experience tracking the storm in Florida

FOX 5’s Matthew Cappucci shares his experience tracking Hurricane Ian in Florida.

In addition to his contributions to FOX 5, Matthew works for The Washington Post, WAMU and MyRadar, while making regular appearances on NPR, BBC News, DW News, and SkyNews Arabia. He is also an educational consultant and teaches public speaking classes. In his spare time, he has even found time to write, releasing the book "Looking Up" in 2022.

"Life is short, and I want to see and do it all. Fortunately, I work a job that manages to make me happy each and every day," said Matthew in his FOX 5 biography.

That love of meteorology shines through in Matthew's work every day.

Help us congratulate Matthew on his big accomplishment!