USA Meteorology Professor Emeritus Inducted into Alabama Broadcasters HOF
Posted on January 27, 2026
University of South Alabama Associate Professor Emeritus of Meteorology and Director Emeritus of the Coastal Weather Research Center Dr. Aaron “Bill” Williams is one of three Mobile area broadcasters recently inducted into the Alabama Broadcasters’ Hall of Fame.
Williams, along with former WKRG-TV news anchor Bill Riales and radio personality Uncle Henry were honored at a reception in Mobile January 23, 2026. Dr. Williams began a radio career with WKSJ in 1979 and for 20 years provided daily reports to Gulf Coast residents.
From 1999 through 2001, Williams served as a severe weather analyst for WKRG-TV as a member of the station’s First Alert Storm Team. He has also worked in radio for WNSP and currently holds a position with FM Talk 106.5.
“It’s a great honor. I have worked hard at perfecting how to communicate with the
public
about severe weather,” Williams said. “A lot of people get very upset when it comes
to severe weather and hurricanes. I just try to explain what they need to know and
how to prepare. That’s the important part of my job as a weather forecaster.”
Williams has been associated with the University of South Alabama since 1967 and has
taught courses in regional and physical geography, meteorology, and climatology. In
1987, Williams proposed and developed the University of South Alabama's Coastal Weather
Research Center, which officially began operation on January 1, 1988. It was the only
full-service weather forecasting operation in the nation located on a university campus.
In 1991, he started the first undergraduate program in meteorology in Alabama. Working closely with AFROTC, the curriculum was designed to meet the requirements of the Air Force and the National Weather Service.
