Frankie MacDonald (born April 24, 1984) is a Canadian amateur
meteorologist from the
Whitney Pier area of
Sydney, Nova Scotia
Sydney is a former city and urban community on the east coast of Cape Breton Island in Nova Scotia, Canada within the Cape Breton Regional Municipality. Sydney was founded in 1785 by the British, was incorporated as a city in 1904, and dissolv ...
.
MacDonald, who has
autism
The autism spectrum, often referred to as just autism or in the context of a professional diagnosis autism spectrum disorder (ASD) or autism spectrum condition (ASC), is a neurodevelopmental condition (or conditions) characterized by difficulti ...
,
is known for his boisterous online weather forecasts.
Frankie records meteorologist reports which he then posts to his
YouTube channel, under the handle of dogsandwolves.
MacDonald's videos have received more than 32 million views.
He also maintains a
Twitter account and
blog.
Weather reports MacDonald has produced include warnings for his home province of
Nova Scotia, a snowstorm in
Winnipeg, heavy rainfall in
Vancouver,
a storm in
Minnesota,
New York
New York most commonly refers to:
* New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York
* New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States
New York may also refer to:
Film and television
* '' ...
,
Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...
,
and
Bermuda during
Hurricane Gonzalo of 2014.
Videos
MacDonald has published over 1,200 videos on YouTube, mostly weather forecasts, but also competitive eating, and how to properly shovel snow.
As a child, MacDonald wanted to be a weather forecaster.
He made his first scenery video on December 27, 2007.
On December 16, 2009, he made his first YouTube video.
MacDonald gained recognition in Canada for his posts to the
Weather Network's website.
His forecast predicting a Vancouver earthquake was featured on the program ''
Tosh.0'',
and
BuzzFeed
BuzzFeed, Inc. is an American Internet media, news and entertainment company with a focus on digital media. Based in New York City, BuzzFeed was founded in 2006 by Jonah Peretti and John S. Johnson III to focus on tracking viral content. Ken ...
called his
Hurricane Isaac
Hurricane Isaac was a deadly and destructive tropical cyclone that came ashore in the U.S. state of Louisiana during August 2012. The ninth named storm and fourth hurricane of the annual hurricane season, Isaac originated from a tropical w ...
forecast, "the only forecast you need for Hurricane Isaac."
MacDonald's videos have turned him into an "internet weather-broadcasting sensation", with several hundreds of thousands of views for some videos;
his Minnesota forecast video reached over 150,000 views.
His forecasts have been picked up by media throughout the world,
and he has given weather forecasts for the
Nova radio network in Australia.
MacDonald has presented the weather on the
CBC and has been featured in an online video series for
Nova Scotia Power.
In February 2017, MacDonald received a silver
YouTube Play Button to commemorate the achievement of 100,000 subscribers to his YouTube channel.
Reaction
MacDonald was included in
CBC News's "Top 10 Newsmaking Stories of 2013 in Nova Scotia."
Additionally, MacDonald was awarded the Vital Cape Breton Excellence Award which honours Cape Breton islanders who have made significant contributions in the community.
He was also recognized for his work by Member of Parliament
Mark Eyking
Mark Eyking (born August 30, 1960) is a Canadian politician who served as the Member of Parliament for the riding of Sydney—Victoria from 2000 to 2019 as a member of the Liberal Party.
Early life and education
Eyking was born in Sydney, N ...
in the
House of Commons on February 4, 2015, during the Statements by Members session. MacDonald has had his likeness made into a
bobblehead and had his "be prepared" catchphrase featured on clothing.
The videos have received both positive (including people thanking him for weather warnings) and negative feedback on YouTube; MacDonald tries to "ignore" the latter, insisting they are "rude and disrespectful."
The hosts of ''The Roz & Mocha Show'' on Toronto's
Kiss 92.5 have been accused of being disrespectful when interviewing MacDonald,
but they deny this, claiming they are fans of MacDonald.
In 2013, false rumours of his death circulated online.
Book
A book authored by and featuring MacDonald was published by
Nimbus Publishing Limited of
Halifax, Nova Scotia on 15 June 2018.
The book is titled ''Be Prepared: The Frankie MacDonald Guide to Life, the Weather, and Everything'' () and lists both Frankie MacDonald and Sarah Sawler as authors, with Sawler also credited as contributor. It is intended for a juvenile to teen audience. The book is in part a biography, and covers a range of subjects including science & nature, earth sciences, autism, and weather. During the process Sawler consulted with Autism Nova Scotia and with MacDonald and his family to ensure she got everything right and presented it fairly.
Parody
On January 30, 2015, the Halifax daily newspaper ''The Chronicle Herald
''The Chronicle Herald'' is a broadsheet newspaper published in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada owned by SaltWire Network of Halifax.
The paper's newsroom staff were locked out of work from January 2016 until August 2017. ''Herald'' management cont ...
'' published an editorial cartoon by their staff cartoonist Bruce MacKinnon, which featured Frankie MacDonald giving a forecast of the "Massive Boondoggle" of the overbudget reconstruction of the schooner
A schooner () is a type of sailing vessel defined by its rig: fore-and-aft rigged on all of two or more masts and, in the case of a two-masted schooner, the foremast generally being shorter than the mainmast. A common variant, the topsail schoon ...
'' Bluenose II''.
References
External links
MacDonald's blog
*
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:MacDonald, Frankie
1984 births
Canadian YouTubers
Living people
People from Sydney, Nova Scotia
People on the autism spectrum
21st-century Canadian non-fiction writers
Canadian male bloggers