Jeff Tanchak

His passion is lake effect snow. His mission -- to turn the challenge of northeast Ohio's ever-changing weather into a forecast Clevelanders can handle. Meteorologist Jeff Tanchak blew into town in January of 2003, and Cleveland's weather instantly got even more unpredictable!

Before joining the First Alert Weather Team, Jeff spent seven years as a meteorologist for WOTV-TV in Grand Rapids, Mich.

A native of Buffalo, N.Y., Jeff is no stranger to the lake effect snows that frequently blow in off of Lake Erie. After obtaining his degree in meteorology from the State University of New York at Brockport, Jeff got his first on-air job at R-NEWS in Rochester, N.Y. From there, he made the move to the Midwest, working for WSAW-TV in Wausau, Wisc.

An avid golfer, Jeff spends much of his free time tearing up the links. He's also a big fan of the Cleveland Guardians and spends many evenings at Progressive Field.

Jeff loves the challenge of Cleveland's weather, tracking the surprise storms and lake effect snowfalls headed our way. And, as a meteorologist, Jeff said his favorite thing is providing you with Cleveland's most accurate and fun forecast.