MARCH 2 • 2023 | 13
no preparation was required for tornadoes.
“Michigan is in the northern edge of
tornado country, and we get fewer torna-
does but they are more likely to be serious,
”
Gross says. Through his efforts, two of the
10 drills required for students are now tor-
nado drills — one of his proudest accom-
plishments.
Another personal point of pride is his
role in the documentary Forecast: Overlord
about the role of weather in planning the
Allies’ D-Day invasion of northern Europe.
Gross had read The Longest Day about
D-Day and noticed a brief reference to
weather, which was a critical element in
planning the massive air and sea invasion.
Gross devoted three years of research,
and his resulting documentary was added
to the D-Day Archives at the Dwight D.
Eisenhower Presidential Library as well as
other major archives and libraries in Britain,
New York and Chicago.
Amy Binder, research director at WDIV
,
has known Paul for the 22 years she has
worked at the station. “Paul is incredibly
passionate about weather. His passion
is more about keeping people safe and
informed than anything else. He is tireless
until he gets the story right. Often that story
could mean making sure he has succinctly
presented stories about things we don’t
think about in our day-to-day life. Things
like an eclipse, meteors, every single effect
in the sky — and he makes it so interesting
and easy to understand — not an easy feat,
”
Binder says.
She and Gross have a
traditional food exchange
at Passover — Amy makes
matzah toffee and Paul gives
her his horseradish.
WHAT’S NEXT FOR PAUL
Most viewers are probably
unaware that Gross has been
doing courtroom meteorologi-
cal consulting for 37 years. “It’s
a small niche in litigation, but
there are some cases where an
expert witness in meteorol-
ogy can be helpful,
” he says.
Weather conditions can be
relevant in some auto crashes,
slip-and-fall cases and a class-
action flood lawsuit. Gross tes-
tifies about weather conditions,
including how much rain fell
during a specific time period.
He plans to continue work as
an expert witness after retiring
from WDIV
.
Along with weather-related legal con-
sulting, Gross is interested in becoming a
lecturer for The Great Courses, an online
adult education program, noting that cur-
rently there aren’t any classes about global
warming. He also plans to spend more
time with his wife, Nancy, at their vacation
home near Charlevoix; they have two sons.
Gross has been president of Temple Kol
Ami in West Bloomfield four times and is
serving on a committee to choose a new
rabbi for the temple. A former temple
board member describes him as an “active
and enthusiastic” member of Kol Ami.
“
Although Paul may be retiring, I prefer
to think of it as ‘evolving’ into another
phase in his life,” says Denver meteorolo-
gist Nelson. “Paul Gross will never be one
to sit back and take it easy!”
Paul
Gross
ABOVE: Meteorologists Brandon Roux and Paul Gross work out of the weather center.
ABOVE: Brandon Roux and Paul
Gross track tornadoes.