Chelsea Priest Leaving ABC6

Chelsea Priest Leaving ABC6

ABC6 Meteorologist Chelsea Priest is leaving the station.

Her departure marks the latest in TV news shakeups in the market, including Katie Davis this week announcing she is leaving WJAR 10 and Kelly Bates leaving the station in 2021.

Bates subsequently joined ABC6 as the weekend meteorologist. 

GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLAST

On Friday, Priest shared the following. 

"After over a decade here at ABC 6, I have made the bittersweet decision to not renew my contract and to pursue a new and exciting opportunity that has come my way. 

I first want to thank all of you. You have been my biggest supporters over the years and I have come to value so many of you in my life. Between school visits and events, I have been able to meet so many of you in person. Thank you for following along all of these years from the fun things like our RISPCA segments and zoo visits, to the seriousness of covering dangerous storms. 

My very first live weathercast was here at ABC 6 when I was fresh out of college. Mark Curtis was anchoring and Ken Bell was covering sports, all under the mentorship of then chief Fred Campagna. After a quick stop in Ohio to gain more experience, I made my way back home and here to ABC 6. My first day at this station was more than 11 years ago. Liz Tufts and I handled weekends together for three years. 

I was then promoted to mornings and have loved every minute of helping you get your day started each and every day. Doreen Scanlon and I have conquered this shift with it's crazy hours for nearly eight years, along with Jim Stearns up until recent changes. There have been so many more co-anchors and friends that have come and gone over the years. Lifelong friendships that I will cherish forever. 

Someone once said, “How lucky I am to have something that makes saying goodbye so hard.”  

While this is a so long for now, it’s not goodbye forever, and I hope when you see me out and about you'll be sure to say hello. My final day here at ABC 6 will be Friday, November 4th. 

Thank you all again."

 

Priest's ABC6 Bio

"ABC6 Morning Meteorologist Chelsea Priest is a Rhode Island native. She was raised in Warwick and graduated from The Prout School in Wakefield. Chelsea earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Meteorology from Plymouth State University in Plymouth, New Hampshire. She also is a Certified Broadcast Meteorologist (CBM) awarded after an extensive process through the American Meteorological Society.

Following graduation, Chelsea moved to Southeast Ohio to pursue her passion for weather. She worked as the morning meteorologist at WHIZ in Zanesville. After spending a year in Ohio, Chelsea was thrilled to move back to the Ocean State and work right here at ABC6 as the weekend meteorologist and weekday reporter. Since she joined the Stormtracker Weather team in 2011, she’s covered many big weather events like Tropical Storm Irene, Sandy, and the blizzard of February 2013.

In January of 2015, Chelsea took over the weekday morning meteorologist position and you can now catch her Monday through Friday on Good Morning Providence.

When not forecasting the exciting and ever-changing weather of Southern New England, Chelsea can be found enjoying everything else the area has to offer. Her favorite pastimes include sailing, dancing, skiing, traveling, and spending as much time as she can at our amazing beaches! Working in Rhode Island means so much to Chelsea as she can also spend time with her tight-knit family and close group of friends.

Chelsea is a member of The American Meteorological Society and can be found sharing her passion for weather with local students while visiting schools across the area."