Rob Perillo is the Chief Meteorologist for KATC-TV3’s Acadiana’s News Channel. Rob has 36 years of experience in forecasting Acadiana’s weather and has tracked hundreds of tropical storms and hurricanes during his career including major Louisiana/Acadiana storms such as Andrew, Lili, Katrina, Rita, Gustav, Ike, Laura, Delta and Ida.
Rob is the most honored meteorologist in Louisiana and the recipient of more than 25 Associated Press awards, including “Best Weathercast”, “Breaking Weather” and “Best Meteorologist” categories in Louisiana and Mississippi. Most recently Rob was nominated for an Emmy Award for hurricane coverage in 2020.
Rob was honored as the "Broadcaster of the Year" in 2020 by the National Tropical Weather Conference, and was the only local TV meteorologist in the country nominated for the prestigious "Weather Person of the Year" in 2021 by the Federal Alliance of Safe Homes.
Before anchoring local weathercasts since the late 1980s, Rob was an Aviation Forecaster for Air Routing International, and a Marine and Industrial Meteorologist for Wilkens Weather Technologies, in Houston, Texas.
Rob began his career managing research at the State University of New York Research Foundation, while also serving as an Emergency Planning Meteorologist for nuclear power plants in Upstate New York.
Over the years Rob has appeared on numerous hurricane and weather specials that have aired on the Learning, Discovery, National Geographic and Weather Channels. Rob also video-taped and broadcast live coverage nationally to CBS, CNN and the BBC during the Space Shuttle Columbia disaster in 2003.
Rob was also interviewed by the Weather Channel for “Cantore Stories – Life on the Bayou”, and the Daily Show with Jon Stewart on the state of climate change and the perspectives of TV meteorologists.
Rob continues to stay active in the broadcast meteorological and climate communities attending and presenting at several conferences and symposiums throughout the year.
Rob was awarded the American Meteorological Society Seal of Approval for Television Weathercasting in 1992.
Rob earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Meteorology, with minors in math and physics from the State University of New York at Oswego in 1983.
He, his wife and two adult children make Lafayette their home.
Contact Rob: rob.perillo@katctv.com
