When Irving Berlin wrote “I’ve Been Dreaming of a White Christmas,” he mentioned sleigh bells and snow-covered tree tops and such, but he didn’t seem interested in summoning cold as f*ck temperatures — which is exactly what we’re getting this year. Millions of Americans are currently feeling the effects of a frigid winter storm with blizzard conditions, bitter cold, and a possible bomb cyclone — but not everyone is cheerful about the chilly weather, including this one endearingly grumpy news reporter. Mark Woodley, an Iowa sports anchor and news reporter with NBC affiliate KWWL, definitely isn’t vibing with this polar vortex, and it seems like the entire internet can relate.
“I tell you what, Ryan, I’ve got good news and I’ve got bad news,” Woodley told his colleague as he stood out in the middle of the winter storm, reporting on the icy conditions at 3:30 a.m. Friday. “The good news is that I can still feel my face right now. The bad news is that I kind of wish I couldn’t.” Woodley, he noted on-air, usually does sports reporting, but with almost every event being canceled due to below freezing temps, he was called upon to brave the cold for some early morning weather reporting. He may have been frozen AF, but he had just about the best attitude anyone can expect from someone standing in -9 °F weather, as evidenced in a montage shared on Twitter.
“What better time to ask the sports guy to come in about five hours earlier than he would normally wake up, go stand out in the wind, and the snow, and the cold, and tell other people not to do the same?” he quipped. He made a good point: According to the National Weather Service, over 200 million Americans across the country were under a winter weather advisory warning while Woodley was out in the freezing streets. In short, it’s just too damn cold outside, and you definitely don’t want to be caught in the middle of this storm.
While Woodley remained consistently peeved throughout his morning report, it seems the rest of the internet thoroughly enjoyed it. “What a got dmn, absolute, unabashed, certified for life, INSTANT LEGEND,” musician Selema Masekela tweeted. “I hope he’s hosting @nbcsnl next week,” he added. RAYGUN, an Iowa-based company, even apparently wants to create a shirt based on Woodley’s winter reporting. “Mark! We'd love to do a shirt about this (we're noodling on it), and could donate a portion of the sales to a charity of your choice!” the company tweeted in response to Woodley’s own post about his experience.
Viral internet sensation or not, Woodley knows the cold is no joke. “Can I go back to my regular job?” he said, with an “I’m tired of this grandpa” tone in his voice. “I’m pretty sure, Ryan, that you guys added an extra hour to this show just because somebody likes torturing me.” At this point, it’s pretty clear this man has reached icon status. As for his employer, they seemed to revel in the entertaining weather report, while also confirming on the KWWL website, “No Woodley’s [sic] were harmed in the making of the morning newscast.”
Mark, you are an absolute trooper, and thank you for braving the cold to bring the internet some top-notch weather reporting — now, someone get this man a hot cocoa and a raise, ASAP.
