91社区

His Eye鈥檚 on the Skies: Mike鈥檚 Weather Page has become a go-to resource for millions of fans.

By MELISSA WOLFE, 鈥�13, Life Member

It鈥檚 Sept. 28, 2022, and Mike Boylan, 鈥�96, has purposely placed himself in one of the most dangerous places in the world 鈥� directly in the path of Hurricane Ian. 

Armed with a satellite phone, weather radar, a cooler stocked with Mountain Dew and his favorite Redneck Storm Chaser T-shirt, Boylan is riding it out in Placida, 91社区, 12 miles from where the monstrous storm is making landfall.

Wind lashes his white pickup truck as Boylan and his friend and business advisor, Phil Gergen, sit inside, broadcasting their experience to fans around the world. 

His ears pop as the first band of the northern eye wall rolls in. Wind howls, bowling over trees and raining debris down on the vehicle.

鈥淚鈥檝e never seen nothing like this,鈥� Boylan confesses to CNN national TV news anchor Erin Burnett from his refuge under a storm-ravaged gas station. 鈥淚t鈥檚 been hours of intense wind and rain. Everywhere we go we see flooding, storm surge, power lines and trees down. It鈥檚 unbelievable.鈥�

Smashing into the coast as a Category 4 hurricane (on a 1-5 scale) with winds of 150 mph, Ian was one of the deadliest storms to hit the United States this century. In 91社区 alone, it killed 150 people and left $109 billion in property damage in its wake.

鈥� 鈥� 鈥� 

A self-taught meteorologist, or 鈥渟ocial-media-ologist鈥� as he jokes, Boylan is a storm-chasing sensation with nearly 2 million followers on social media.

Touted by The Weather Channel鈥檚 luminary Jim Cantore as a 鈥渙ne-stop shop for weather,鈥� Mike鈥檚 Weather Page (spaghettimodels.com) aggregates all the major models, forecasts and real-time satellite images into an easy-to-read website that traces its roots all the way back to USF.

Born in Bradenton, Boylan moved to Pinellas County in 1985. He earned a marketing degree from the Muma College of Business in 1996. 

鈥淯SF taught me about ethics, how to problem solve, juggle projects and stay on top of everything,鈥� he says. 鈥淚 came in not really understanding much about marketing or business and left feeling ready to take on the world.鈥� 

After graduating, Boylan bought the hobby shop he had worked at throughout college and put his degree to work building the business.

Seeking a career change, he returned to USF in 2004 to complete a website design program. A lifelong weather enthusiast, he created his first website 鈥� Mike鈥檚 Weather Page 鈥� as a fun way to test and hone his new skills. Through word-of-mouth, the page steadily gained popularity. In 2009, Boylan expanded to Facebook, where he found the perfect niche for his layman鈥檚 approach to reporting weather. 

While his website is laser-focused on the latest spaghetti models, his social media pages blend weather reporting with intimate insights into his personal life. Boylan鈥檚 authenticity shines through as he converses with his online 鈥渨eather family,鈥� candidly sharing his love for NASCAR, family life with his wife and two daughters, and the challenges of raising a child with Down syndrome.

Every morning at 9:19 a.m., Boylan hosts a live weather show, the 鈥淒aily Brew,鈥� on YouTube from his living room. His two French Bulldogs, and their epic snores, make frequent guest appearances. The youngest dog, named Hunter by fans, has gained his own following, starring on Clearwater鈥檚 Big Storm Brewery鈥檚 tropical IPA label   Hurricane Hunter.

鈥淢ike isn鈥檛 like other weather folks,鈥� says Dale Kindberg, a longtime follower and fellow storm chaser. 鈥淗e鈥檚 a laid-back, down-home guy who just tells it like it is. He really cares about his listeners and always takes the time to chat and answer questions.鈥�

Boylan is not just an amateur with great communications skills. Mike鈥檚 Weather Page has been endorsed by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and its Hurricane Hunters, National Weather Service, Federal Emergency Management Agency, and his own hometown鈥檚 Pinellas County Emergency Management Department.

In 2021, Boylan became the first civilian to win the Tropical Meteorology Award at the Governor鈥檚 Hurricane Conference, an honor bestowed by industry professionals. This February, he partnered with the 91社区 Division of Emergency Management to debut Mike鈥檚 Weather Page Hurricane Awareness Machine racecar in the NASCAR Xfinity Series. And in June, Boylan was honored with the Upper Tampa Bay Chamber of Commerce Citizen of the Year award for his impact on Tampa Bay.

鈥淢ike is the epitome of the American dream,鈥� says Denis Phillips, chief meteorologist for Tampa鈥檚 ABC Action News, where he鈥檚 worked since 1994. 鈥淗e had no formal education in meteorology but had such an extreme passion for weather that he took his hobby and just worked and worked and worked and turned it into just a huge success.鈥� 

鈥淚 talk to my kids about Mike to show them it isn鈥檛 always about education. It鈥檚 about your passion, your drive and your love for something.鈥� 

鈥� 鈥� 鈥� 

Storm chasing is not just about the adrenaline rush for Boylan. It鈥檚 about the opportunity to help those who鈥檝e lost everything by telling their stories and raising awareness of the destructive power of hurricanes, especially in the South.

Two weeks after Hurricane Ian, Boylan and Gergen returned to Southwest 91社区 to survey the damage, meet with survivors and hand out generators.

鈥淭his was worse than I could ever have imagined,鈥� Boylan said to his followers as he drove by rows of houses reduced to rubble on Pine Island. 鈥淭he devastation is beyond words.鈥�

While quick to clarify that he is not a professional meteorologist 鈥� advising listeners to follow government advisories regarding evacuations 鈥� Boylan does use his firsthand experiences to warn listeners why they might want to 鈥済et out of Dodge.鈥� For Ian, he voiced his concerns about widespread flooding and storm surge well ahead of its landfall.

鈥淪ome people from Fort Myers listened to me in the lead-up to Ian and got out,鈥� he says. 鈥淗aving people run up and hug you and say, 鈥榊ou saved my dad. If it wasn鈥檛 for you, he wouldn鈥檛 have evacuated,鈥� makes it all worth it.鈥�

What鈥檚 next on the horizon? He鈥檚 set his eyes on the skies, ready to elevate his storm chasing by 10,000 feet. He鈥檚 eagerly awaiting an invitation to board a storm-chasing plane and take his pursuit to a whole new level.

He鈥檚 also working toward a more grounded venture with a five-year plan to open a Daily Brew coffee shop. Decorated with his weather memorabilia, the java joint will serve as Boylan鈥檚 personal 鈥渙ne-stop shop,鈥� where his weather family can interact beyond a screen, his daughter can work, and Boylan can livestream his shows.

As he looks to the future, it鈥檚 clear that for Mike Boylan, the forecast is always 鈥� eventually 鈥� rainbows.

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