Texas A&M University. Photo: Oldag07, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:TAMU_Harrington1.JPG)
Texas A&M University. Photo: Oldag07, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:TAMU_Harrington1.JPG)
Deegan was born and raised in Corpus Christi, Texas, a Gulf Coast city whose location exposed residents to tropical weather and coastal meteorology. He later attended Texas A&M University in College Station, where he studied meteorology and developed an early interest in broadcast weather communication.
Deegan studied meteorology at Texas A&M University and received a Bachelor of Science degree in 1981. Texas A&M, founded in 1876 as Texas's first public institution of higher education, developed a major tradition in agriculture, engineering, science, and professional education. His training combined formal meteorological study with practical broadcasting experience gained while he was still a student.
Deegan began broadcasting weather while attending Texas A&M University, working at KBTX-TV in Bryan, Texas, where he presented forecasts on the morning program Good Morning, Bryan & College Station before attending classes. He subsequently worked at Kris-TV in Corpus Christi before moving to Jacksonville in 1982.
In 1982, Deegan joined WTLV in Jacksonville as the meteorologist for Good Morning Jacksonville, the station's morning newscast. WTLV, later operated in a news partnership with WJXX under the First Coast News brand, served the northeastern Florida television market through NBC and ABC affiliates. Deegan became the station's chief meteorologist in 1986 and continued presenting weather forecasts across the First Coast for more than four decades.
His broadcasting included regular evening forecasts and coverage of hurricanes and other severe-weather events. In September 1988, he accompanied the Hurricane Hunters into Hurricane Gilbert, a powerful Category 5 storm that reached peak intensity over the western Caribbean. He also visited schools and taught children about weather, linking broadcast meteorology with public education.
Deegan became one of the first 100 meteorologists to receive the American Meteorological Society's Certified Broadcast Meteorologist designation in 2005. He served on the AMS Board of Broadcast Meteorology and participated in the Weather-Ready Nation initiative. After announcing his retirement in 2024, he delivered his final regular First Coast News forecast on May 30, 2025, concluding a 42-year association with the Jacksonville station.
Deegan became one of the first 100 meteorologists to receive the American Meteorological Society's Certified Broadcast Meteorologist designation in 2005.
He combined long-term broadcast forecasting with public meteorology education, including regular visits to schools to teach children about weather and hurricane safety.
He completed a 42-year broadcasting career with First Coast News, becoming one of the station's longest-serving on-air personalities and a prominent weather forecaster in northeastern Florida.
Deegan is identified with Catholicism, a Christian tradition centered on the sacraments, the authority of church teaching, and the continuity of apostolic practice. Catholic communities in the United States have developed through parish life, education, charitable work, and public service.
Deegan has expressed the view that weather forecasting carries a practical responsibility because people use forecasts to make decisions about safety, travel, work, recreation, and public events. His public educational work reflects an emphasis on explaining meteorology clearly and encouraging young people to understand weather science.
Deegan has been associated with the American Meteorological Society, the principal professional society in the United States for atmospheric and related sciences. His participation included service on the Society's Board of Broadcast Meteorology, whose work concerns professional standards, certification, and effective communication of weather information to the public.
Deegan has been publicly characterized by a serious and conscientious approach to forecasting. In discussing his retirement, he emphasized that forecasts affect viewers' practical decisions, from planning events to responding to hazardous weather.
Quotes from others about the person
First Coast News leadership described Deegan as a trusted voice for First Coast families whose expertise included forecasting major storms as well as daily weather.
Deegan married Donna Deegan in 2002. Donna Deegan is a former television news anchor who later entered public service and became mayor of Jacksonville in 2023.
