Tammara J. "Tammie" Souza[1] is a multiple Chicago/Midwest Emmy winning meteorologist,[2][3][4] working at WFLD in Chicago, Illinois.[5]
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Souza was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and raised in San Diego, California.[5] She received a Bachelor of Science in Biology from San Diego State University,[6] and received a degree from Mississippi State University's broadcast meteorology program.[6] She earned a pilot's license while in college.[5]
Souza began her career as the morning and noon meteorologist at KHSL in Chico, California.[6] She then became chief meteorologist at WDJT in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Souza later moved to Chicago, where she worked six years at WMAQ,[5][6] and two years at WTSP in Tampa, Florida.[5][6][7] While at WMAQ, she was known for recruiting viewers to provide temperature and rainfall as "weather watchers", and for visiting of gradeschools with an interactive and educational weather presentation called Weather With Class.[5]
After the death of Dick Fletcher, WTSP's longtime chief meteorologist, Souza was hired to be the station's chief meteorologist.
Souza's sister, Patty, was a meteorologist for WTSP's sister station KXTV.[5] At one point, Tammie and Patty Souza were the only siblings in the United States who delivered weather on television.[6]
Souza is one of a handful of women nationwide that holds both the prestigious AMS/CBM Seal and the NWA Seal and sits on the boards of both the American Meteorological Society and the National Weather Association.[5][8]
Presented to her by the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, Souza has 15 Emmy Nominations and five Emmy Awards,[2][3][4] including Best Weathercast, Best Weather and Science Report and for special Live Reporting, as well as a 1st Place award from the Associated Press for a report on Shipwreck Diving in Lake Michigan.[6] The National Association of Black Journalists recognized her with a nomination for her story about fugitive slave ships on Lake Michigan.[6]
Prior to her career in broadcast meteorology, Souza had several small acting roles.