Meteorologist Gets Emotional, And Saves Lives When A Tornado Touches Down Near Studio 4-12-2020 

When she said “I’m sorry!” and he said “Don’t be.” That just made me tear up and smile. We need more people like this in our lives.

She is a freaking hero. Who gives a rat's behind if she cries. She did a great job.

She knows her friends and family are being affected by this storm. It makes anyone emotional knowing your family could be dead or badly injured.

I love how he stepped in and took care of her until she regained her emotional control. That’s how a team is supposed to work.

I'm a Hurricane expert. Having to tell people to "write their names and social security numbers on their bodies for identification purposes "when people refuse to Evacuate. It makes me cry too and every season it never gets easier. She did a fantastic job 👏

She was super brave. She may have cried but she stuck through, what a reporter! Edit: her coworker was so kind and empathetic, props to him too

Crying? I'd be shitting my pants while running around in circles.

I love how her partner validates what she's going through and doesn't make her feel ashamed at all. Love the professionalism and compassion.

I’d love to have a co-worker like him. Being able to be so calm in such a situation is a literal gift. She’s amazing at her job, but having him as backup must be amazing for her. Stay safe y’all

She or any reporter should never apologize for caring and being human.

I lost it when he said, “Here, just come over here, let me help with that.” So precious how caring he was with her.

The gentle ‘come over here’ was so sweet and really shows the type of environment that these meteorologists and news anchors have built for each other.

This man is the opposite of toxic masculinity. ❤ The empathy he showed her, comforting her, remaining calm for her, and taking over when she needed a minute to collect herself ♡

Who cares if she got emotional I literally would be screaming running around in circles. She handled it a lot better than I would have

That man is the Bob Ross of weather presenters.

When she said “I’m sorry,” I couldn’t help but think “You’re a sweet lady, why are you sorry? Nothing wrong with doing your best, you’re literally trying to save folks.” Emotions aren’t unprofessional, she just really, really cares. I think we’re too used to associating apathy with professionalism. These two did the best they could to support each other emotionally and to spread the word. Makes me feel at least a little peace for my pals in Tennessee to see this.

Did you see how she looked at him and he knew right away what she was needed him to do. What a great team and I'm sure she saved the lives of people who were still watching and needing this information. 😢

She’s probably thinking about her family back at home too :(

Her name is Erin Thomas, a meteorologist and a empathic and strong woman. I admire her work, she's giving all of her there! All my kind goes for her and the guy for all the supporting.

She picked herself up like a champ! We all get scared, the guy in the back did an amazing job at consoling her for it while staying professional.

I give her PROPS for just crying a LITTLE bit. That was nothing! If that was me, I'd have been on the floor rocking back and forth and bawling my eyes out. She did great, he did great! That teamwork is amazing and inspiring!

Bill Race--the male anchor--has such a sweet, gentle voice! Heard he just got out of the hospital from a very bad bout with COVID. Hope he continues to recover to spread his kind energy!

Her coworker is the bob ross of news reporting, what a boss

Her crying shows that she cares about thousands of people she doesn't know, and THAT defines a very kind Lady!

They need more professionals like her. When the news loses the emotional aspect it becomes nonsense. Its news after all. Its community information. She is a gem.

When she said "I'm sorry" and his response was "it's okay" I just wanted to hug both of them.

She could of been thinking about her family's safety too.

You never have to apologize when you care so much for others. And the gentleman working with her has such a claiming voice. What an awesome team.

That man was so calm. Such a good person to have around you in something like this.

I like how RU-vid has recommended this to us, like they’re saying “let’s remind you what happened last year”

Tell me she doesn’t care about her craft, her city, and it’s residents. Real meteorologist here.

She was amazing and I commend her for her empathy. I work in the medical field and was written up for tearing up (not even actively crying, just my eyes welled up with tears and I wiped them once) when a young patient came into the ER because they were riding a motorcycle and someone ran a red light and crashed into them. The drs and nurses were working on them and family shows up in time to see the moment they called time of death. I was told to come into the office and I was told that it was unprofessional and to never let it happen again. My coworker told on me. No one even knew I had teared up but I was with the coworker who was a bitch and who just had to run her mouth. I’m not bitter. 😂

What a big heart she has. Unfortunately this is not common in this world we live in. She rocks!

“You can come over here for a moment.” He’s such a kind man.

I’d want this guy to read me a bedtime story. His voice is extremely soothing!

I can never handle myself very well when theres even just a slight chance of a tornado or disaster. Huge props for picking herself back up so quickly, and to the other meteorologist for supporting her.

When I see this, I see strength. The fact that these people STAY and report to make sure we get the information is heroic. They can easily leave and go to their loved ones because unlike us, they know where to look and what to look for. But they don't, they stay in the fire and make sure we all are informed. 👊🏿🙏🏿💪🏿🖤

The guys voice is actually very soothing. Very calm during this incident. Even the female reporter kept her cool as long as she could. Very good team.

Nothing to be ashamed of, we are all human and that’s a human event.

Bless her... she tried so hard to stay professional but knowing how these storms affect people can make you choke up. And bless that man for stepping in to give her a moment and staying so calm and reassuring. ❤

Aww the way the man responds is exceptional. As a person it’s really great of him to validate her concerns and reassure her at the same time but even more so as a coworker this is great. Work can make things even more stressful cos you’re expected to be so much less human and aim for perfection so them letting her be upset instead of dismissing or judging is actually great to see

her “im so sorry” after she read out how dangerous and life threatening this tornado was is so absolutely raw and heartbreaking. i don’t think she was apologizing for crying i think she was just whole heartedly sorry that this was happening to people that were very unprepared

The female meteorologist is Erin Thomas, and the man meteorologist is Bill Race. They along with our weather radio saved our lives that night! The whole newschannel 9 weather team is excellent. Erin was also getting emotional because the Tornado went over the area that she lives in, and she has 2 dogs that are her babies. Her dogs were ok.

It's very refreshing seeing someone so genuinely concerned about other human beings. She made my day!

That man has the most calming voice and demeanor. He sounds like how a hug feels. 🥺💜

Weather men and women are highly underrated. During situations like this they work night and day, through the storm to protect their towns and cities. Not to mention they still got their families to worry about. There’s no telling how many lives they save while reporting.

The male weatherman acted in a very classy fashion. He was very compassionate to the weather lady. Such a kind co-worker

How lovely of him to validate how she's feeling and to step in and help out. 🥰

That is a real man right there. She was in a moment of emotion and struggle and he was calm as a cucumber. What a great team.

In a tornado, the sound of a weather reporters voice is sometimes the only comfort. Immense respect to both of them.

If you ask me, there's nothing scarier than a tornado at night, it's like an invisible killer, you'll never see it coming...

She's terrific. I'm not in her area, but I am a weather geek and this came up in my feed. She did great under a tough circumstance.

bill race is the kindest man. i’m terrified of storms and tornadoes and he always calms me down whenever there’s severe weather

Its emotional because she knows people are getting hurt. SHe's a hero. Who cares if she got upset!

The male reporter did such a great job of staying calm and reassuring her while filling in the air time they had so she could have a couple minutes. Both did a wonderful job! It’s touching she started getting emotional.. not enough people have compassion for others anymore

Bless her coworker for being calm when he knew she was upset. They both did an amazing job. ❤

What a kind co-worker. That was a time of true fear, so much unknown and a generally terrible weekend for so many. I was struck by her co-worker's soothing calm, conforting her as he continues to deliverthe essential warnings. I was also struck by the young woman's tenacity as she struggled to regain her composure.

I just like the fact how he was comforting her during horrible times, he have a good heart.

The guy comforting her is clearly a father

Extraordinary professionalism in the face of potential disaster. Both of them are warriors. Very nice work.

To hear she was in Nashville when that big tornado came through at the time, & to see her getting emotional is perfectly understandable. A storm like that will bring back memories. I applaud her for handling this one & warning everyone! She is a wonderful meteorologist!!

He’s the type of someone who needs to work for a crisis hotline. There are some days when I would definitely need to hear a voice like this.

Her crying shows she knows people are getting hurt while talking. Hope she is okay.

Showing emotions puts more emphasis on the actual situation, raising more awareness

That dude really did a great job with showing empathy without escalating it even more as well. Especially when he tried to deflect it into talking about the history of what the area has been going through since the last hurricane to Covid etc

This is the longest I’ve watched a weather report and it’s 7 months old from a state I don’t live in...🍿

Don't EVER apologize for being human. EVER. That's what makes you connect with your audience. My guess is that you are loved in your coverage area.

As these kinds of storms become more common, I hope we have a corresponding increase in people like her. We’re gonna need it.

This is not my local new station, but this connection with the local community and surrounding areas is why we trust our local new station especially during weather emergencies. So, Ms. Erin- never change. Continue being a caring person.

Sometimes it LITERALLY SAVES LIVES by showing emotion because it stresses how much it means you need to get to saftey

In a world that’s falling apart, it’s nice to see a caring person. Only if it’s just that rare one.

Erin and Billl - what a team with a heart. It is normal to hear reporters just speak as trained: emotionless. Heart; we need more heart and kindness...

I’m not crying, you’re crying! In all seriousness, this is an amazing video to show us that we’re all human. She is making sure that her coworkers are safe, and seeing the news in real time that a tornado is in the area where she lives is a natural reaction. The anchor was so kind to help her through this and take on her duties so she can get her thoughts together, and his sympathetic reaction was heartwarming.

Ummmm, can we give this guy big ups for giving the report AND comforting her without insulting her like a boss!!! Dude is amazing!

You can see the exact moment that the reality of the situation hit her. Not only was everyone in the studio in imminent danger, they most likely have friends and family near the warning areas, which makes it even worse. Her coworker really had her back when it counted most too. What a great guy. I have so much respect for them, I dont think I could have handled that primal urge to run and hide, let alone have the composure to keep reporting! WOW!!!

How awesome are these two? I have a cousin who was a meteorologist for a few years and he left the field because severe weather would make him so nervous on live tv... I totally understand now after watching her. She did great - much better than I would have - kudos to them both for supporting each other and showing what a great news team looks like.

Hats off to both. Bottom line … that night they absolutely saved lives. Period. She knew how dangerous this storm was and just like most anyone she showed her emotions. So well done by all. God Bless you both !!

I would be fucking terrified seeing a weather woman crying on air

Some people are scared of earthquakes but I could not imagine living in a place with heavy storms AND tornados

This anchor man deserves an Emmy and a hug. What a guy! And there's no shame in working through the emotions as they come. Dang, what a tough situation for all.

Poor guy just battled covid too! He’s doing better and out of the hospital.

I really like how the male meteorologist immediately took over for her as soon as he realized she was choked up. It was a very compassionate, smooth transition.

TV STATIONS: This is the kind of reporting the public deserves. Glad the station didn't go off the air during this report; we're all human, we're all in this together so let's act like it! Bravo to the male the reporter supporting the meteorologist and thanks to the meteorologist for keeping it professional but with real emotions! You guys did great.

I realized that this is my hometown news channel after recognizing Bills voice and growing up listening to him during bad storms. It’s really cool to see them recognized! I remember watching them during one of the worst tornadoes that devastated our town when I was in high school.

What a brave woman, she really cares about people and her community. That’s the kind of person I’d want telling my forecast.

She did a lot better holding it together than I ever could!

Not sure why this showed up in my feed today, but seeing people care so much for others was quite moving. Hope for the human race.

i cried nearly every day from mid-March 2020 up until like May 2020, I cannot imagine having to deal with tornados on top of that.

"Did you hear something!?? I thought I heard a squeaking!!" "That might have been my chair...." What a fucking hero.

It's actually refreshing to see someone actually showing empathy and kindness.

That co anchor was very very kind and compassionate about the emotions bubbling. Very good team she has got with her ❤

I don’t live in Tennessee. I live in Indiana where we don’t get a lot of this scary bad weather. When I watched this it had me in tears. My heart goes out to everyone who had to experience this. These weather reporters are amazing! She truly cares about her community. We need more people like this! ❤

This whole group deserves a raise for sticking with each other. They are brave for staying on air.

this poor woman probably has a family at home, and she says “i’m sorry” like she did something .. poor thing 🥺 edit: i am SO sorry about calling her a girl! i did not realize my mistake and just got to fix it. have a great day!

the guy who stepped up and seamlessly continued the coverage gets a big thumbs up.

Makes me cry hearing the emotion in her voice and the fear. Respect to both of them for being professional while getting the important information out to those who need it

The problem with news these days is that we don’t have more reporters like this.

She is a real one. Trying to stay brave for others.

This storm did in fact produce a tornado in Chattanooga, which sadly claimed three lives. At 6:02 you can clearly see the tornado on radar in the East Brainerd area and it was at EF3 strength at that time. The tornado initially touched down in Fort Oglethorpe, GA, and moved NE through East Brainerd and into Ooltewah, TN. Passed a half-mile north of my house. I was lucky, but I'll never forget that storm as I had never experienced weather like that in my life. This is my first time seeing this coverage and it really is quite emotional. The voice you hear off-camera is Bill Race and he's been doing this for decades. I don't see her letting her emotions come through as a lack of professionalism, I see it as the opposite as it serves as a reminder that these aren't robots on screen, but real people who CARE about their community. While it is heart-wrenching to know that this storm had casualties, there is some solace to be had in knowing that the technology we have available to us, combined with dedicated meteorologists means communities are able to receive these warnings in real time and it certainly saved lives.

The anchor supporting her 🥹. What a great man he is. Like a warm hug.