Updated August 2023: Britley has officially moved back to the Miami Valley and is now the full-time morning meteorologist for WHIO. Welcome home!
DAYTON – If you have tuned into WHIO Channel 7 morning news recently, you may have noticed a new, familiar face reporting weather forecasts. Britley Ritz, a Greenville High School graduate, has been the weekday morning and Noon meteorologist since the end of May. She was asked to fill in by friend and former WHIO Chief Meteorologist McCall Vrydaghs after she (Vrydaghs) and former meteorologist Kirstie Zontini announced they were leaving the station to pursue new career opportunities.
“I started my broadcast career earlier in my college days by interning with the weather team at WHIO,” Ritz stated. “Fast forward nearly 10 years, I have remained friends with McCall, so when she called to ask me to do this favor, how could I turn her down knowing how WHIO had given me the chance to grow in my career.”
“My love for the weather all stemmed from living near Greenville when I was 7 years old. I saw my first tornado and my fear of weather became very real. I held that fear throughout my high school career,” she added.
During her high school career at Greenville, Ritz was part of the track team and cheerleading squad. Academically, she was a member of the National Honor Society, the Art Club and Spanish Club.
According to Ritz, she was finally able to conquer her fear of weather when she witnessed her second tornado while storm chasing during her college days at Ball State University, where she majored in Atmospheric Physics – Meteorology and Climatology.
After graduating college, Ritz took her first job as a broadcast meteorologist in Duluth, MN. Her stay there was a short six months, before moving to Cedar Rapids, IA. Not being a fan of cold weather, she was thrilled when she got a call from a West Palm Beach, FL station asking if she would like to come work near the beach.
“How can you turn something like that down,” she said. “I have always loved the warmer weather and living near a beach has always been a dream. So of course I took the job!”
Ritz’s next meteorologist career move was with The Weather Channel in Atlanta, GA, where she stayed until moving on to her current position at CNN in August 2022, where she is a domestic and international meteorologist.
Ritz is an Emmy Award-Winning Meteorologist and has a patent for a new United States weather alert system. She currently still resides in Atlanta with her Yorkie and confirmed she will continue freelancing for WHIO through the end of July.
“It’s so great being able to forecast for those I love the most,” Ritz noted. “Being able to help out a station that helped me grown is a blessing.”
“I miss the small hometown feel of the Miami Valley. It’s easy to get lost in the hustle and bustle of a big city like Atlanta,” she continued. “You sometimes lose sight of your values of life. Being back home, I’m able to put things into perspective and feel more at home.”
Ritz’s family all still live in and near the Miami Valley, so being able to come back to report the local weather forecasts has been more of a blessing than a job. She has also enjoyed being able to visit local businesses, family and friends.
“Supporting local and homegrown businesses always makes me happy. I have had the opportunity to visit, Drees Dairy Barn, Versailles Winery and Esther Price Chocolates. I’ll definitely find a few more across the Valley to venture out to within the month,” she concluded. “If you see me out and about on adventures, please don’t be afraid to stop me and say hello!”
