Christopher Robbins, a former meteorologist who worked at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and was known for his humanitarian efforts, passed away peacefully at his home in Georgia this past week. Robbins was a respected scientist who contributed to weather forecasting and climate research at the NOAA for over 20 years. He was also a pioneer of Search Engine Marketing. He was involved in providing guidance to people affected by natural disasters like ice storms and hurricanes, and was regarded as a hero by his community. The cause of death was determined to be natural causes. Robbins’ family and friends are mourning his loss and celebrating his life.

Meteorologist Chris Robbins, a longtime contributor to the National Weather Service, iWeatherNet, various weather journals and the Douglas County Sentinel, died August 30, 2023. Robbins, a 1991 Douglas County High School graduate who owned iWeatherNet, correctly forecast the winter storm known by many in metro Atlanta as “Snowpocalypse” in January of 2014. He was also known in the Dallas Ft. Worth area as a meteorologist and the National Hurricane Center of Miami.

He is survived by his cherished dog Loki and his Mother; Elizabeth Culpepper Gray and her husband Lat. He is also survived by his father Christopher Robbins, his brothers Ashley and Jason Robbins, and sisters Jennifer and Katie.

Interview with iWeatherNet Founder Christopher Robbins

(Atlanta, August 2, 2023) – Chris Robbins is the founder of WeatherNet/StormNet and a professional meteorologist with advanced degrees in atmospheric science/meteorology from the University of Oklahoma. He has worked as a research assistant at the National Severe Storms Laboratory, a team leader in the Project VORTEX, an associate editor for the Journal of Weather and Forecasting, and a contributor to The Weather Channel. He specializes in winter storm dynamics and prediction, and provides custom services and consulting for various regions in the US. He is also a member of several meteorological organizations and societies.

Robbins has studied winter storm dynamics and ice microphysics for over 20 years, starting with his graduate research in the mid-1990s. He possesses significant skill at forecasting all mesoscale and synoptic-scale systems, including heavy rain events, severe convection and mesoscale convective systems, winter storms, Arctic airmass intrusion, freezing rain, Appalachian cold-air damming, and rare meteorological events. His primary forecast and consulting regions are the Southern Plains and the Southeast, including both the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex and the Atlanta metro.

Robbins is also the founder of iWeatherNet LLC, a website that provides weather information, education, and analysis for various audiences. He is passionate about sharing his knowledge and expertise with the public through his website, social media platforms, and speaking engagements. He also collaborates with other meteorologists and weather enthusiasts who contribute to his website.

In addition to his meteorological career, Robbins also ran a website called creditchampion.com, which offered loans for people with bad credit. He was one of the first webmasters who used his skills to rank his website high on Google and other search engines. He also provided credit education and consulting services to help people improve their credit scores and financial situations.

He was active in the Webmaster forums, where he shared his webmaster knowledge and experience with other webmasters. He was one of the original webmasters who learned from each other on how to optimize websites for search engines long before SEO was a thing. The term SEO actually is an insult to those in the business. It was more of an amateur newbie term.

He was respected and admired by many webmasters who followed his advice and tips on web-mastering. He was known for his honesty, integrity, and generosity in helping others succeed online he helped families find loans and even helped fellow webmasters who were trying to put food on their table during a recession. He was also praised for his meteorological skills and insights, which he often shared on WebmasterWorld as well.

Chris Robbins is not only a professional meteorologist but also a pioneer of webmastering. He has created successful websites that provide valuable information and services to millions of people. He has also contributed to the advancement of both fields by sharing his knowledge and passion with others. He is a true leader and innovator in both domains. He had the #1 website for years in Google and Yahoo for terms such as Home Loans. He built better loan and credit rate calculators than Bankrate from the ground up with his programming skills.

Besides creating websites, Chris has also been involved in forecasting precise storms for years. He has provided tropical analyses, tropical weather discussions, and various tropical and high-seas forecast products for the National Hurricane Center. He has also served as an associate editor for the Journal of Weather and Forecasting, one of the prestigious research journals published by the American Meteorological Society. In this role, he has reviewed and graded many manuscripts submitted by atmospheric scientists around the world.

Interview with Chris Robbins of IweatherNet:

We hear that you once flew in puppies from Alaska to your home in Texas is this true?

Yes, that’s true. I love animals, especially dogs. I have treated dogs like royalty, giving them bottled water and once even flew twin puppies in on a plane from Alaska. They were husky pups that I adopted from a breeder who was moving to another state. They were so cute and fluffy, and I wanted to give them a good home. I named them Cane and Loki, and they are my best friends.

That’s a clever name for a husky pup . I guess you have a special interest in hurricanes as a meteorologist.

Mr. Robbins, I’m curious to know if you have any fun facts to share with us about your time at the NOAA. For example, did you have any close friends or colleagues who are now in prominent positions in the weather community?

I was roommates with Jamie Rhome, the acting director of the National Hurricane Center. They met at the University of Oklahoma, where they both studied meteorology. They had a lot of great times and were both very passionate about getting the forecast right and saving lives. They still keep in touch and support each other in their careers. Chris is very proud of Jamie’s achievements and thinks he is an excellent leader and forecaster.

What is a fun fact that we would never guess of you?

He once co-owned a restaurant in Ft. Lauderdale named “Rodeo” which had amazing southern comfort food on the strip of Wilton Manors.

Chris Robbins has recently suffered from a car wreck, COVID, and viral online trolling that led to bad press since we gave the interview he has shared with us. We have him in our thoughts and hope he gets well soon.

Robbins Bought Advertising on Facebook to Save NWS

“I do have fairly thick skin (I had to develop it during graduate school!), but what hurts the most is his blatant desire to gossip and apparent disregard of my hard work with the NWSEO to protect the NWS from budget cuts. The awareness campaigns I ran on social media cost me tens of thousands of dollars out of my own money — all because I care about the agency and its hard-working staff. I believe strongly in the NWS mission. So, when I hear that someone is flapping their jaw (just like they were 8 years ago before I resigned from the NWS), it hurts my feelings just a tad. It makes me feel like my efforts were all in vain and unappreciated by some — but I think that’s an inaccurate assessment on my part since the awareness campaigns were extremely effective. Those who have nothing better to do on shift than engage in petty gossip will do just that — as long as they think someone is listening. Unbeknownst to them, word will ALWAYS get back to me 🙂 Thank you for your words of encouragement Marcia. I am continuing my work with NWSEO to help keep the NWS budget intact.”

iWeatherNet had a fan base of over 100,000 people that wanted to hear his stories and discuss weather

Thoughts on the Next Generation of Meteorologists and AI Chat Bots

I’m honestly worried about the next generation in this profession. I’m nearing retirement age, but I see what’s happening. College students are now using AI to cheat. Folks, I am proud of every ‘C’ I earned in college and graduate school. I practically lived in the library on the OU campus. I got screamed at many times by my professors, but I deserved it. Now, students are cheating with the help of artificial intelligence (AI). I pray that college professors take note, because it is happening so fast.
Kids in 2023: stop cheating. The world depends on you. It is very possible that my generation was the last generation of great forecasters.
College professors at The University of Oklahoma, University of Georgia Atmospheric Sciences Program, and the School of Meteorology take note: they are all cheating.
I know someone who is currently in their senior year of college and just got a grade of “A” on three papers using artificial intelligence. Ridiculous. Final course grade = A. Another friend of mine currently in college solved a very complex differential equation using AI. Grade = A.
When I was in college 30 years ago, I used my Commodore 64 to write my papers. No jokes about my age. I never used an abacus 😂”

Thoughts on UFO’s and Aliens

Remembering 911

Human History by Chris Robbins

Robbins Suffered Greatly from COVID-19

“I want to thank everyone for the many kind messages that I received over the past 3 weeks. During the 2 weeks leading up to early last week, the worst of my COVID experience hit. I couldn’t eat or even hold down water for 15 days. I lost a lot of weight (over 30 pounds), and dealt with the horrendous COVID rash for 8+ weeks (starting in mid-December).
The rash was more painful than any sunburn I’ve ever had (and I’ve had some bad sunburns over the years). Toward the end of the COVID experience (up until early last week), I laid flat nearly 24 hours a day for 2+ weeks. My legs got so weak that I had to crawl to the bathroom. I would come close to fainting if I attempted to stand up. Even now, I am still unsteady on my feet, but I am doing some leg exercises to rebuild my strength.
My legs are numb, which could indicate neurological damage. I just pray it’s not a lifelong side effect. I had severe sinus issues, but thankfully it never progressed to my lungs; I stayed out of the hospital because I never developed breathing problems. The rash that I’ve dealt with since mid-December is now fading. My fever subsided early last week.
I am rapidly improving, but absolutely did not feel like socializing for the past 3 weeks…so I stayed off of Facebook. My appetite is back in full force, and I am eating like a horse. The main foods that I crave are produce and dairy… clearly an indication of the nutrients that I need right now.
COVID is the worst thing I’ve ever gone through in my life, surpassing my foot being crushed by an extended cab pickup truck in 2006. I still have 4 screws in my foot, but COVID was worse. I’m still standing, but I will never be the same after COVID; the damage is done. I pray none of my friends ever have to go through it.
Please continue wearing a mask, because COVID is a beast. I have many, many messages in my inbox, and I will try to respond to everyone in the coming days.”