Joe Bastardi- The Popular Meteorologist’s Biography
Who is Joe Bastardi?
Joe Bastardi is an American professional meteorologist and weather forecaster. At 67, Joe Bastardi is one of the most recognized meteorologists.
Born and raised in America, the famous meteorologist is very outspoken about his skepticism regarding human-induced climate change.
Because of his unusual belief, though a scientist himself, and his confidence in them that Joe regularly makes news headlines.
Did you know that Joe Bastardi was a signatory of a petition organized by Richard Lindzen of the Cato Institute urging the then President Donald Trump to pull the United States out of the United Nations International Convention on Climate Change?
For similar exciting facts about Joe, please read the full article!
Quick Facts
| Full Name | Joseph Bastardi |
| Also Known as | Joe Bastardi |
| Birthdate | July 18, 1955 |
| Age | 67 years old |
| Sun sign | Cancer |
| Traits | Positive- Soft, Nurturing, and Loving Negative- Clingy, Moody, and Needy |
| Birthplace | Providence, Rhode Island, USA |
| Nationality | American |
| Education | Bachelors in Meteorology from Pennsylvania State University |
| Parents | Matthew Bastardi (Father) Anna Conforti Bastardi (Mother) |
| Grandparents | Giuseppe Bastardi Tina Bastardi |
| Siblings | Matthew M Bastardi (Brother) |
| Marital status | Married |
| Spouse | Jessica Jane Strunk |
| Children | Garrett Matthew Bastardi (Son) Jessica Ann Bastardi (Daughter) |
| Profession | Meteorologist |
| Net Worth | USD 5 million |
| Social Media | Twitter |
Interesting Facts
- Joe Bastardi enjoys bodybuilding in his free time.
Joe has an interest in bodybuilding. Bastardi is also the winner of the NABBA American Bodybuilding Championships. Additionally, Joe also helped in the run for the Gold by Freestyle National heavyweight champion Kerry McCoy.
- Joe has trained many high school and college athletes in football and wrestling.
Joe is not only an accomplished meteorologist, but he is also an equally competent wrestler. He is also the strength and nutrition counselor for former Penn State’s head wrestling coach John Fritz’s Keystone wrestling camp.
- Joe states that he hasn’t taken a day off since 2002.
The talented meteorologist has revealed the secret of his success. He loves his work so much that he hasn’t taken a day off for a long time, including Christmas and Easter. He has such a hectic schedule that sometimes he has to write columns several times a day, especially when a storm is approaching.
Early Life and Childhood
On July 18, 1955, Joe Bastardi was born in Providence, Rhode Island, USA. However, Joe spent much of his childhood frequently moving, first to Texas in 1960, then to Somers Point, New Jersey, in 1965.
He led a comfortable childhood, where both his parents were educated and always strived to give the best of everything to their children. Joe Bastardi also has a brother, Matthew M. Bastardi.
In 1978, Bastardi enrolled at Penn State University, where he was a member of the varsity wrestling team. Later, in 1978, he graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in meteorology.
So, apart from an impressive academic record, Joe was also a promising athlete, bodybuilder, and wrestler.
Parents
Matthew Bastardi (Father)
Joe’s father, Matthew Bastardi, was born in Bristol, the son of the late Giuseppe and Tina Bastardi. Matthew graduated from Texas A&M University with a degree in Meteorology at 35. He was the oldest freshman on the A&M campus and the only Rhode Islander to get a degree in meteorology from Texas A&M.
Bastardi then worked for the U.S. Government, first as a research meteorologist, then as a computer system analyst and air traffic controller for 30 years before retiring. Additionally, Joe’s father was the coach, secretary, and umpire in Somers Point Little League.
Anna Conforti Bastardi (Mother)
Joe’s mother, Anna, was born in Providence, the daughter of the late Salvatore and Caroline Magnone Conforti. Anna served as the Board Secretary for the Somers Point Board of Education.
Joe’s parents, Matthew and Anna, were happily married for 67 years. They cherished the time they spent together and enjoyed taking many trips to California and Italy.
Joe Bastardi’s parents died of Covid-19.
Sadly, the loving couple passed away together on January 19, 2022. They died due to complications from Covid infection. Joe announced the news of his parents’ passing away via a tweet. He wrote,
“So, we are clear. Covid killed my mom and dad. The doctors did the best they could with what they had. There is no assurance the other therapeutics would have saved them. My point is how is it they can’t be tried. If death is the only option, what is there to lose?”
Love Affairs and Relationship
Jessica Jane Strunk (Wife)
Jessica Jane is a 1990 graduate of Penn University. She worked as an assistant women’s gymnastics coach at the university after captaining the team before graduating.
Jessica is a competitive bodybuilder like her husband though she is better than him. She won the 1996 Central Pennsylvania title precisely eight months after giving birth to her son. Similarly, she also won her division in the 1999 NPC Middle Atlantic National Qualifier, exactly ten months after giving birth to her daughter.
Joe and Jessica exchanged their wedding vows on September 11, 1992, when he was 37 and Jessica was 26 years old. The couple has been together for thirty years, and their love has deepened.
Joe Bastardi Children
Garrett Matthew Bastardi (Son)
Joe Garrett’s son, Garrett was born on February 5, 1996. It is a coincidence that his birthday falls on Weatherman’s Day. He is also working to become a meteorologist like his father.
Jessica Ann Bastardi (Daughter)
Joe Garrett’s daughter Jessica was born on December 7, 1998. He loves her to bits, and is very proud of his daughter.
Career
Joe Bastardi is a very talented meteorologist. His talent was recognized by AccuWeather very early. He started his first job at AccuWeather, the world’s largest commercial organization, the next day of his graduation.
His dedication and excellent work rose him steadily through the ranks, receiving promotions to Forecaster and Senior Forecaster. Finally, he worked as a Senior Expert Forecaster in the organization for 33 years after eventually resigning in 2011. He built a large private client services business during his tenure at AccuWeather.
His reputation for making bold and accurate forecasts has landed him on major television programs, including Fox News Live, ABC World News, The O’Reilly Factor, and others. Additionally, Bastardi is also well-known for his blogs featuring popular videos. Currently, Joe is working as a chief meteorologist at WeatherBell Analytics, LLC.
Joe is also a Senior Advisor at the American Tradition Institute (ATI)-now the Energy & Environment Legal Institute, a group denounced by the American Association for the Advancement of Science as contributing to an environment that inhibits the free exchange of scientific findings and ideas.
Additionally, Bastardi has released The Climate Chronicles: Inconvenient Revelations You Won’t Hear From AI Gore- And Others. Marc Morano and Anthony Watts promoted the book.
Controversies
It is not surprising that Joe Bastardi has been drawn into several debates for his controversial statements about climate change. The weather forecaster denies that humans are the contributor to global warming.
In a discussion with Joe, scientist Bill Nye calmly stated that several human activities had increased carbon dioxide levels causing global warming. To this, Bastardi had sarcastically replied,
“So what you have to believe, folks is that the sun, plus the oceans, plus the volcanic activity plus natural reversal has less effect than the yearly human contribution equal to the width of a hair on a one-kilometer bridge of a trace gas needed for life. So, if you want to believe that you can go ahead and believe that.”
Later, Nye challenged Joe, one of Nye’s most vocal critics, to a USD 20,000 bet that 2016 would be in the top 10 of hottest years on record and that this decade would be the warmest ever recorded.
Among Bastardi’s several opinions that are at odds with science, he has asserted that the world was warmer in the 1930s than today and that the warming is caused by sunspots and exchange with warmer oceans.
In 2011, Joe wrote that, as he had predicted three years earlier, the global average temperature was falling and, by 2030, would return to levels seen in the late 1970s due to the “triple-crown of cooling.” Bastardi states that carbon dioxide cannot cause global warming as this would violate the first law of thermodynamics. He says,
“CO2 cannot cause global warming. It doesn’t mix well with the atmosphere. Also, its specific gravity is 1.5 times that of the rest of the atmosphere. It heats and cools much quicker. So it cannot- it literally cannot cause global warming.”
Social Media
Joe Bastardi is a media personality. That is why he is also active on social media. However, he is more active on Twitter, where he regularly tweets on various issues.
Additionally, Joe is active on Facebook.
Joe Bastardi Net Worth
Joe Bastardi is a professional meteorologist who is extremely good at his career. In addition, he earns a good amount of money from his profession. Bastardi gets an impressive salary for his work at WeatherBell.
So, looking at all the available facts, Joe Bastardi’s net worth is estimated at $5 million. In addition, he lives in a luxurious mansion and owns expensive cars.
