The most recognizable weather reporting voice on Minnesota radio is retiring.
Mike Lynch, who has brought WCCO Radio listeners his forecasts with enthusiasm and homespun cheer, said Thursday that he reached 40 years on the job Tuesday and he has folded up his work umbrella for the last time.
During his regular gig Thursday morning on AM 830 with Dave Lee, Lynch said he's looking forward to spending more time with his wife, Kathy.
"I have a bittersweet announcement to make that's been about three years in the making," Lynch wrote on Facebook, where a warm photo of him and his wife dominates. "I've decided to retire from WCCO Radio after 40 years."
Lynch endeared himself to listeners as a regular guy who enjoyed a corny joke with Lee and others on the air. He routinely gave a nod to WCCO's statewide reach by giving a temperature in some small town while throwing in the name of a cafe or hardware store.
The 64-year-old Lynch called in to Lee at 6:49 a.m. Thursday to announce his departure, but not before he said, "21 degrees and clear outside of Louie's Finer Meats in Cumberland, Wisconsin."
Lee made sure to point out that for all the lighthearted banter, Lynch was all business when it came to urgent weather news involving tornadoes or other severe conditions.
Lynch replied that when reporting stormy weather, he would kick into his "Walter Cronkite mode."