Legendary TV Weatherman Dies Following Dementia Diagnosis: Peter Coade Was 82

Maritime broadcasting icon Peter Coade, whose reassuring voice guided Atlantic Canadians through countless weather events, passed away Saturday at age 82 after battling dementia, according to his son Graham, who spoke with CBC News.

The veteran meteorologist, who spent over five decades forecasting weather patterns across the region, had been receiving care at Hants Community Hospital since November.

Coade’s calm demeanor and straightforward delivery made him a trusted household name throughout Atlantic Canada during an impressive broadcasting career that once earned him recognition from Guinness World Records for the longest tenure as a weather forecaster, though that distinction has since been claimed by another meteorologist, as noted by CBC.

“It’s one of the most important elements we live by. It dictates our food supply, it dictates how we live, how we work,” Coade said about weather forecasting when he retired from CBC in 2016, demonstrating the profound respect he maintained for his profession throughout his extensive career.

His professional journey began somewhat accidentally as a high school student in Halifax when he volunteered for a job-shadowing opportunity with CBC meteorologist Rube Hornstein simply to get “a day out of school,” as he once recalled. That decision launched him into a career that would see him work across Canada before returning to his Maritime roots.

Former CTV Atlantic Chief Anchor Steve Murphy described Coade as “among Canada’s first TV meteorologists, a trailblazer in the tradition of his mentor Rube Hornstein,” highlighting the pioneering nature of his long-running career in broadcast meteorology. Murphy shared with CTV News how Coade’s forecasting prowess proved invaluable during major weather events, particularly Hurricane Juan in 2003, when “Peter forecast the storm very early on and warned of its potential impact days ahead of time.”

Behind the composed on-air persona, colleagues remember a witty personality who brought joy to newsrooms. “While quite shy and reserved on TV, he was hilarious in person – although many of his jokes couldn’t be published here!” former colleague Bruce Frisko told CTV Atlantic, adding that “weather was one thing he never joked about, though. He took pride delivering accurate forecasts to every part of the region.”

Frisko also recalled Coade’s humorous quirks, including how “for the longest time, he brought a briefcase to work, but every time he opened it, the only thing inside was two packs of smokes!” — a habit Coade eventually abandoned, becoming “quite smug about it,” according to his former coworker.

Coade’s forecasting expertise was particularly evident during significant Maritime weather events. Beyond Hurricane Juan, he accurately predicted the massive 2004 snowstorm nicknamed “White Juan,” though he later admitted to one personal forecasting error: “Stupidly though, I didn’t bring in a change of underwear or socks, even though I knew I wasn’t going home for a couple of days because I was trapped in the city,” he told CBC.

Away from the cameras, Graham described his father in an email to CTV News as family-oriented, saying he “loved sitting around a roaring campfire surrounded by friends, family and lots of dogs… Playing washer toss, BBQing and drinking beer.” This dedication to family extended to his professional relationships, with Frisko noting that colleagues “always knew what everyone was up to” in Coade’s family.

CBC anchor Tom Murphy perhaps summarized Coade’s legacy best, saying his name became “synonymous with weather” and describing him as “that calming, informative voice to help us cope on the eve of a hurricane or pick a sunny day at the beach.”