T.J. Del Santo is a native Rhode Islander who joined WPRI 12 in May 1997. You can see him forecasting the weather on the weekends on WPRI 12 and FOX Providence.
Through the years, T.J. has covered hundreds of storms. Superstorm Sandy stands out as the most memorable and impactful storm in his 25 years of forecasting here in New England. Sandy inundated southern Rhode Island with a significant storm surge, damaging dozens upon dozens of homes and businesses. Tropical Storm Irene, which hit Southern New England in 2011, was another storm which he remembers well.
T.J.’s documentary “State of the Bay” won a regional Edward R. Murrow Award for excellence in journalism. The 12 on 12 Digital Original explored the history of Narragansett Bay from the Industrial Revolution to the present, looking at how much of a comeback the bay has made after decades of pollution. In 2022, T.J. earned a second Regional Murrow Award for his drone work in the Target 12 Investigative series, “The Forgotten“.
An FAA-certified drone pilot, T.J. flies Sky Drone 12 through the Southern New England skies. While Sky Drone 12 can offer unique and beautiful views of fall foliage and autumn corn mazes, the drone can help tell important stories about how climate change could be impacting Rhode Island or how artificial reefs are being installed because of improvements in water quality.
Prior to 12 News, T.J. worked as a marine forecaster at Weather Routing, Inc. in Glens Falls, N.Y., where he made forecasts for ship captains and routed freighters and yachts around the world.
Later, he was a computer specialist at the Harvard-Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory in Cambridge, Mass., where he did some research for the Chandra X-ray Observatory. That space telescope was launched off of the Space Shuttle Columbia in the summer of 1999 and it still gathers important information about our universe.
T.J. is a 1994 graduate of Lyndon State College in Lyndonville, Vermont, where he earned a Bachelor of Science in Atmospheric Science. While in college, he interned with 12 News Meteorologist Tony Petrarca.
When asked about his favorite part of the job, T.J. always says it’s being able to visit schools to talk to kids about weather. Before going to college, he wanted to be a teacher as well as a meteorologist, so visiting the schools gives him the best of both worlds.
In his spare time, T.J. enjoys spending time with his family, cooking, landscaping, traveling, watching the Red Sox, Patriots, Washington Football Team and Celtics.
T.J. and his family live in western Rhode Island.
