Almanack Weather Prognosticator Retirement Now Official Chad Merrill Named To Take Over

(Mercersburg, PA. October 4, 2019) – It’s now official!  The Gruber Almanack, LLC. announces the retirement of William O’Toole, III after his 51 years of service as the exclusive weather prognosticator for John Gruber’s famous Hagerstown Town and Country Almanack and names Chad Merrill as its new weather prognosticator!  

 

During his tenure, O’Toole developed his own 'unique technique' of predicting weather patterns that used traditional methods of solar and lunar charting that have been handed down over the years along with advanced computer software customized by O'Toole for his specific purposes.  As a result, O'Toole's level of accuracy predicting the nature of the weather rivals many meteorological experts, other prominent almanacs,  and at times, even the National Weather Service!  And it is noted that all of his predictions are calculated up to 18 months in advance!

 

There have been seven calculators over The Almanack’s 224-year history.  The first was Charles Flack (1797-1824). Flack was known locally for 28 years as the ‘Blacksmith Astronomer’.  Other calculators were Charles F. Egelmann (1825-1861) for 37 years, Lawrence J. Ibach (1862-1888) for 27 years, his son, Will R. Ibach (1889-1918) for 30 years,, W.M. Kopenhaver (1919-1929) for 11 years, and W. Shoemaker (1930-1969) for  40 years. Since 1969, O'Toole, retired Professor of Mathematics and Computer Science at Mount St. Mary’s University, Emmitsburg, Maryland, has been predicting upcoming weather and preparing all of The Almanack’s astronomical calculations for its detailed calendar pages until his retirement today.  This makes him the longest-serving weather prognosticator at 51 years!   O’Toole will continue his association with The Hagerstown Town and Country Almanack as Prognosticator Emeritus,  and will continue to contribute his unique skills, vast experience, and insights to its evolution for many, many years to come! For Professor O’Toole’s full biography, Click Here. Today, The Almanack proudly names Chad Merrill, as its 8th weather prognosticator!  

 

Chad has been a meteorologist for 17 years. He graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Meteorology from California University of Pennsylvania. From there, he worked in television at WJAC-TV in Johnstown, Pennsylvania and WHAG-TV (Now WDVM) in Hagerstown, Maryland. Most recently, Chad has worked as a meteorologist for WTOP Radio in Washington, D.C., the Nowcast Weather Network and Earth Networks (www.earthnetworks.com). For Chad’s full biography, go to Click Here.