NewsChannel 5 meteorologist Bree Smith is leaving the station after nine years

Popular NewsChannel 5 meteorologist Bree Smith has parted ways with WTVF after nine years there, the station manager and Smith confirmed Tuesday.

“We can confirm that Bree Smith is no longer with NewsChannel 5,” station manager Richard Eller said in an email to The Tennessean.

“Bree has been an important member of our weather team for several years and we really appreciate everything she has done to help keep our viewers safe and informed. We wish her the best of luck.”

Her last day on air was Friday.

Smith, 43, said in a brief telephone interview that her contract expired and that she no longer works at NewsChannel 5, but offered no details about any contract negotiations or her departure.

“I plan to be a mom and a meteorologist,” Smith said, adding that she plans to stay in Nashville.

On her Facebook pageSmith acknowledged that her last day was Friday, but again offered no details about her departure.

“Fun fact,” she wrote, “we had a massive snowstorm within the first few weeks of me starting at Newschannel 5 way back in 2016…so it seems fitting to go out with more snow.

“Right now I’m hanging up my TV hat and getting ready to lean into my mom hat and enjoy more time with family. Nashville is my home and I’m proud to raise my boys here. I hope we can stay connected online and that you’ll say ‘hi’ at the ballpark.”

Within 10 minutes of the post, her Facebook message had more than 300 supportive comments on it.

“We really loved you and your broadcast,” wrote Facebook member Patti Stockton Tinch, echoing the tone of most comments.

“you were very thorough in your prognoses. thank you and enjoy your family!”

Smith built a strong connection with viewers with clear, concise easy-to-understand explanations of the weather. And Smith was known for his hilarious social media videos about the weather, public holidays, moments behind the scenes at the station and scary targeted anchor Rhori Johnston.

Smith is the third major news personality to leave NewsChannel 5 in the past two years. Long-term anchor Vicki Yates retired in the spring of 2023. And longtime morning anchor Amy Watson left this fall to care for her ailing mother.

Smith earned a degree in theater performance from Southern Methodist University, but after three years as a professional actor in New York City, she went back to school to earn a degree in meteorology, according to an online biography. She began working with television news in St. Louis in 2011, the job she held before coming to Nashville in 2016.

Four years ago, Smith shared with The Tennessean a story about her father’s alcoholism and subsequent death when she was 10. She told her story to mark National Recovery Month in September 2021, which promotes recovery from mental illness and substance abuse.

Reach Brad Schmitt at [email protected].

This article originally appeared on the Nashville Tennessean: Bree Smith is leaving NewsChannel 5 after nine years as chief meteorologist