Seneca honors WYFF News 4 Chief Meteorologist Chris Justus with key to city after tornadoes

The city credits the WYFF News 4 weather team's April 13 severe weather forecast for saving lives

The city credits the WYFF News 4 weather team's April 13 severe weather forecast for saving lives

IS THANKING WYFF NEWS FOURS. CHIEF METEOROLOGIST. CHRIS JUSTUS FOR HIS TORNADO WARNING IS BACK ON APRIL 12TH AND 13TH. SKY4 VIDEO SHOWS SENECA AFTER SUNRISE THE DAY AFTER EASTER HOMES BUILDINGS CARS TREES RIPPED APART TOSSED AROUND BELONGINGS SCATTERED ALL OVER DAMAGED BY THE WIND AND RAIN. SHREDDED ROOF OF BORGWARNER WITH A MAULED METAL ROOF SUPPORTS AND SCATTERED DEBRIS IS A POWERFUL SCENE. THIS IS WHERE THE TORNADO CLAIMED A MAN’S LIFE. OUR WYFF NEWS 4 WEATHER TEAM TRACK THAT STORM AND MANY VIEWERS CREDIT CHIEF METEOROLOGIST. CHRIS. JUSTUS HAS WARNINGS WITH SAVING LIVES. THIS AFTERNOON. CHRIS WAS HONORED BY THE TOWN OF SENECA FOR HOW HE HELPED PEOPLE IN THEIR COMMUNITY OR ALAN DEVLIN WAS AT THE EVENT AND JOINS US. NOW LIVE FROM SENECA ALLEN YEAH, CAROL EVEN AS SENECA WORKS TO PICK ITSELF UP FROM THE RUBBLE AND ROOFTOPS AROUND THE TOWNS THEY COVERED IN THAT BLUE TARP UP THERE LIKE YOU CAN SEE UP HERE ON THE HILL THE PEOPLE HERE TOOK THE OPPORTUNITY TO SHOW THEIR APPRECIATION TO CHRIS JUSTUS AND HIS APRIL 13TH FORECAST THAT THEY SAY SAVED LIVES. WHEN HE SAID TAKE SHELTER, WE TOOK SHELTER. IT’S A SPECIAL DAY IN SENECA THE TOWN TAKING A BREAK FROM CLEANUP AND RECOVERY ON BEHALF OF THE CITY TO HONOR ONE OF WYFF NEWS FOUR’S OWN. THEY HEARD THE WORDS THAT YOU SAID THAT NIGHT. MADE SURE THAT SOMEONE STAYS AWAY. THAT YOU TAKE COVER THE TOWN CREDITS CHRIS JUSTUS AND THE WYFF NEWS 4 WEATHER TEAMS APRIL 13 FORECAST FOR SAVING LIVES. ABOUT THEM THROUGH THAT STORM. GOD FORGIVE ME. WORD OF WARNING THEM OF IMPENDING REALLY APPRECIATE HIS COMPASSION. IS DIRECTNESS IS PROFESSIONALISM. THEY GAVE US SOME INFORMATION. WE REALLY NEEDED. TO SAVE OUR LIVES REALLY BELIEVE THAT HAPPENED AND IN RETURN PRESENTED CHRIS JUSTUS ARE VERY GRATEFUL FOR YOU WITH A KEY TO THE CITY SUCH AN HONOUR IT IS SO TOUCHING TO SEE HOW THE COMMUNITY. COME TOGETHER AFTER THIS TRAGEDY THEM. I’M JUST SO GLAD THAT AFTER. CEDRIC AND PARELLE AND DALE AND I SAW THAT THREAT THAT NIGHT THAT THIS COMMUNITY TOOK THAT THREAT SERIOUSLY. IN RE ABLE TO STAY. TODAY A CELEBRATION AND A SHOWING OF APPRECIATION A HIGHLIGHT AS THE TOWN STILL FIGHTS FOR SENSE OF NORMALCY. EVEN WEEKS AFTER ITS YOU CAN HOW STRONG THIS? IT IS IN SENECA STRONG IS A REAL THING. YES, SO INCREDIBLE SO INCREDIBLE AND A BIG THANK YOU TO SENECA FOR INVITING CHRIS JUSTUS OUT HERE IN HONORING HIM THE WAY THEY DID WE’RE GOING TO SEND THINGS BACK TO OUR WEATHER TEAM IN THE WEATHER CENTER. CHRIS. JUSTUS HAS OUR EVENING FORECAST. GOOD EVENING, CHRIS. THANK YOU ALAN. I APPRECIATE THAT. AND I THINK IT GOES BACK TO IT BEING IN OUR BLOOD AND HE CEDRIC GREW UP WATCHING WHETHER EIGHT YEARS OLD GET VIDEO OF HIM DOING IT OUR GOAL AT THE END OF THE DAY IS TO KEEP YOU SAFE AND ALERTS YOU TO TO BAD WEATHER. AND THANKFULLY WE’RE HAPPY TO REPORT OUR WORST WEATHER OVER THE NEXT WEEK IS GOING TO BE

Seneca honors WYFF News 4 Chief Meteorologist Chris Justus with key to city after tornadoes

The city credits the WYFF News 4 weather team's April 13 severe weather forecast for saving lives

The City of Seneca honored WYFF News 4 Chief Meteorologist Chris Justus in a ceremony Thursday, showing their appreciation for his April 12 and April 13 coverage of the tornadoes that impacted the Upstate. On behalf of the city, Seneca Mayor Dan Alexander presented Chris Justus with the key to the city, thanking him and the entire WYFF News 4 weather team for their "accurate" and "life-saving" weather coverage.Justus began warning the Upstate of the oncoming severe weather on the evening of April 12 and continued his nonstop coverage into the early morning hours of April 13 as conditions worsened. "We started watching the weather and we always watch WYFF News 4 and watch Chris and all the team members," said Seneca resident Wayne Morton. "Chris started talking about storms coming our way, possible tornado, and that got our attention real quick. So we just stayed glued to the TV and the WYFF News 4 app, back and forth as he had his reports and we just followed him through the night."Justus told the people of Seneca to keep someone awake through the night in preparation for what could be devastating weather, a decision he says was based off of his observation of the April 12 evening weather patterns. "Everything I could look at with the technology we have at WYFF News 4 was telling me that this was going to be a bad night," Justus said. "To tell everybody in the Upstate that you need to have someone stay awake, that’s a big deal."Many of the people in Seneca who have spoken to WYFF News 4 through our extensive coverage of the severe weather aftermath say they heeded his warning and add that they were able to protect themselves and their families because of the heads-up Justus provided. "Throughout this community, I heard that everywhere I went as we walked through this community and we talked to people that they heard those words that you said that night, 'Make sure that someone stays awake, and that you take cover," Alexander, the Seneca mayor, said at the ceremony honoring Justus. "You stepped them through that storm, God was giving you the word." "It’s such an honor," Justus said after receiving the plaque. "It’s so touching to see how the community has come together after this tragedy, and I'm just so glad that after Cedric, Parella and Dale and I saw that threat that night, that this community took that threat seriously and were able to stay safe."

SENECA, S.C. —

On behalf of the city, Seneca Mayor Dan Alexander presented Chris Justus with the key to the city, thanking him and the entire WYFF News 4 weather team for their "accurate" and "life-saving" weather coverage.

Justus began warning the Upstate of the oncoming severe weather on the evening of April 12 and continued his nonstop coverage into the early morning hours of April 13 as conditions worsened.

"We started watching the weather and we always watch WYFF News 4 and watch Chris and all the team members," said Seneca resident Wayne Morton. "Chris started talking about storms coming our way, possible tornado, and that got our attention real quick. So we just stayed glued to the TV and the WYFF News 4 app, back and forth as he had his reports and we just followed him through the night."

Justus told the people of Seneca to keep someone awake through the night in preparation for what could be devastating weather, a decision he says was based off of his observation of the April 12 evening weather patterns.

"Everything I could look at with the technology we have at WYFF News 4 was telling me that this was going to be a bad night," Justus said. "To tell everybody in the Upstate that you need to have someone stay awake, that’s a big deal."

Many of the people in Seneca who have spoken to WYFF News 4 through our extensive coverage of the severe weather aftermath say they heeded his warning and add that they were able to protect themselves and their families because of the heads-up Justus provided.

"Throughout this community, I heard that everywhere I went as we walked through this community and we talked to people that they heard those words that you said that night, 'Make sure that someone stays awake, and that you take cover," Alexander, the Seneca mayor, said at the ceremony honoring Justus. "You stepped them through that storm, God was giving you the word."

"It’s such an honor," Justus said after receiving the plaque. "It’s so touching to see how the community has come together after this tragedy, and I'm just so glad that after Cedric, Parella and Dale and I saw that threat that night, that this community took that threat seriously and were able to stay safe."

Seneca honors WYFF News 4 Chief Meteorologist Chris Justus with key to city after tornadoes

The city credits the WYFF News 4 weather team's April 13 severe weather forecast for saving lives

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