Dr. George, L.A.'s weather guru, still keeping an eye out for clouds

With another big rainstorm moving in tonight, The Times' James Rainey sat down for a chat with the dean of L.A. weather forecasters -- whom many named Dr. George. If you've lived in L.A. a while, you are probably already smiling. If not, let Jim tell you more:

They spent the last week in our living rooms, marveling at a seven-day forecast with real weather, endlessly replaying the Mega-Doppler radar and relishing the sheer wetness of it all. Fritz and Dallas and a man named (Johnny) Mountain. They have done the local weather so long, they can be identified by one name. They're as comfortable as your old rain boots. But how do L.A.'s weathermen keep it fresh, after chasing clouds and cold fronts for decades? What's it like facing days so relentlessly sunny that parody (think Steve Martin's character in the 1991 movie "L.A. Story") would have them taping unchanging forecasts, days in advance. I figured Dr. George had to have the answers. The signature weather personality in a town of venerable weather personalities, Dr. George dominated the coastal eddy and the persistent inversion layer.

--Shelby Grad