WPRI meteorologist announces plan to leave the station and switch careers

After more than 18 years, meteorologist Michelle Muscatello is leaving 12 News later this spring.

"Being a part of people's morning routine has been the honor of my life and the fulfillment of a childhood dream," Muscatello wrote in a Facebook post. "While the 'big weather days' are always a rush, I am most thankful for the positive role this job has allowed me to have in our community."

Muscatello said in her post she will be moving to a job in the private sector later this spring. One of the reasons she cited was wanting to spend more time with her family.

"I arrived at WPRI as a newlywed, and have felt so much love through the years as Pete and I grew our family," she wrote on Facebook. "I owe the people of Block Island a long overdue apology for my belly covering it up for months on end through three pregnancies. Those babies are growing up quickly (one’s heading to high school next year), and I don’t want to miss any more mornings with them or be too tired in the evenings to enjoy their witty conversations and busy sports schedules."

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Muscatello started at WPRI in 2004, and beyond early mornings and covering news events, she has spoken in classrooms, mentored interns, and worked with many charities, including Make-A-Wish MA/RI, Project Undercover, MADD, the American Cancer Society, the East Bay Community Action Program, the American Heart Association and Special Olympics.

In a press release announcing her departure, WPRI said it's "hard to overstate what Michelle has meant to us."

“Michelle has been at the forefront of so many important weather events in her eighteen years with the Pinpoint Weather team,” said WPRI News Director Karen Rezendes, “expertly covering blizzards, tornadoes, and hurricanes, and always with our viewers’ safety in mind.”

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Ted Nesi, the political and business editor for WPRI, said on Twitter that Muscatello's impending departure represents a "big loss."

"Michelle is such a wonderful colleague and friend - not to mention an exceptional meteorologist," he wrote. "But happy for her and her family to no longer have those 2:30am alarm clocks every day!"

WPRI General Manager Patrick Wholey said in the release that they've been communicating about and preparing for Muscatello's departure "for a while" and that the station is well-positioned to make the change. He added they will have more to say closer to her departure date in late spring.

This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: WPRI Meteorologist Michelle Muscatello to leave Channel 12