Northshore magazine showcases the best that the North Shore of Boston, MA has to offer.
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93 Hampshire and even taught high school science and math before landing at Channel 5. Burnett says weather is important to local newscasts because it affects everyone. "If there is a fire or a crime, it typically only impacts those directly involved, but the weather impacts everyone," says Burnett. "Weather is the one part of the news that looks forward to what is to come instead of reporting on what is happening or has happened. It helps people plan their lives." Like Noyes, who Burnett worked with for a short time as a freelancer at NECN, he vividly remembers the Springfield tornadoes. "My news director called and told me to get in the car and get to Springfield immediately," he says. "When I got to the outskirts of Springfield College I saw an apartment PHOTOGRAPHS, LEFT TO RIGHT BY KATIE HALL, BY DOUG LEVY building that looked like an open dollhouse. The entire front wall of the building was gone. I spoke to a woman who wasn't allowed back into her house to get her son's cap and gown for his high school graduation. She was in tears and I was fighting them back. I'm typically looking at charts and numbers, but it is times like these when I remember that the weather can get personal." A little closer to home, Burnett recalls covering a powerful nor'easter in 2013. "I was reporting from Plum Island, where so many homes have succumbed to the ocean over the years," he says. "While I was there the storm eroded the beach so quickly it caused a house to first lean and then fall down the cliff toward the ocean." Burnett, who lives in Danvers with his wife and two daughters, says he enjoys his job because it combines two things he loves—meteorology and education. "I get the opportunity to use my understanding of meteorology to predict what is coming while also educating viewers on why something is happening." When asked if he has a mentor in the business, he is quick with his response. Like Noyes, Burnett credits Harvey Leonard for his success. "Harvey is a legend and everyone knows it," Burnett states. "Harvey is not only one of the best forecasters, he is one of the best at being able to explain a complicated situation in terms people can understand. Harvey is a friend, a confidant, and a sounding board. The compliments go way beyond the guy you see on TV." Olessa Stepanova A.J. Burnett