Alan "Al" Kaprielian is a meteorologist in New Hampshire, best known for 26 years with Channel 50, a broadcast television station in Derry, New Hampshire.[1] One journalist has described a Kult of Kaprielian due to his distinctive voice and eccentric mannerisms, which included squeaky, high-pitched exclamations of "high pressure!" and "good evening!"; a distinct New England accent; sound effects reminiscent of Curly Howard; swinging his arms in circles rapidly and performing jumping jacks on camera.[2][3]
Kaprielian's TV run came to an end on December 31, 2009 as part of changes at the television station. Kaprielian now does forecasts for Manchester Public Television Service (local access),[4] the online site of the Nashua Telegraph newspaper,[5] and radio station WCAP-AM (980) in Lowell, Massachusetts.
When not broadcasting weather information he tours local schools. During these visits, he informs students of science and studying weather. He can also be found at local community events such as the Lowell Folk Festival, the Dracut Scholarship Foundation's Telethon, and the Derry News Cookie Eating Contest. Al was also a feature celebrity judge at the 2009 Hampton Beach Seafood Festival.
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Kaprielian, born July 7, 1961, is a native of Natick, Massachusetts, and graduated from Lyndon State College, Lyndonville, Vermont. He currently resides in Merrimack, New Hampshire. Kaprielian was awarded "Best Weather Forecaster" in the Nashua Telegraph's 2004 Reader's Choice Awards. He has also been voted Best Media Personality and Best Weatherperson in New Hampshire Magazine's The Very Best of New Hampshire Reader Choice Awards. Kaprielian has been interviewed by both WCVB-TV Channel 5's "Chronicle" (Boston) and WKXL radio in Concord, New Hampshire. Despite his credentials, Kaprielian does not hold a seal of approval from either the National Weather Association or the American Meteorological Society, possibly due to the incorporation of audition tapes being judged by other meteorologists into the approval process, which would seem to discourage antics such as those that Kaprielian uses.
On July 9, 2010, Kaprielian was the subject of a parody music video created by Haclyon the Lusus Naturae and animated by Manchester, New Hampshire cartoonist, Yu-San Moon. The parody video asserted that Mr. Kaprielian was really part of the conspiracy theory surrounding Reptilians.