Meteorologist Scott Gagliardi is leaving WFSB amid continued anchor turnover

Gagliardi’s announcement came the same day that Tyler Hughes, a recent hire by the network, made his on-screen debut covering weather.

“Just like the leaves, sometimes it’s time to embrace the change, and trust what’s next,” Gagliardi wrote in a Facebook post announcing his departure. “But as the colors change, so does my path. I’m excited to share that I’ll be joining a new station soon. Change isn’t always easy, but it’s how we grow, and sometimes, it’s exactly what the forecast calls for.”

Gagliardi, who did not respond to a request for comment for this story, is a Connecticut native who attended high school in Wallingford and studied meteorology at Western Connecticut State University. After a stint working as a meteorologist at WCJB TV20 in Gainesville, Florida, he was hired at WSFB as a weekend weather reporter in April 2024.

Hughes, a New Hampshire native who was hired by WFSB this month, is set to take over at least some of Gagliardi’s weekend broadcasts, though he says he did not overlap with the departing anchor.

In an interview with CT Insider on Monday, Hughes said he had developed his passion for weather at a young age — living through the 2008 ice storm in New Hampshire and watching the waves of Hurricane Irene crash into the seawall in his hometown of Hampton were both formative memories for the young meteorologist. 

Hughes is new to the professional broadcast business; he graduated from Pennsylvania State University with a degree in meteorology in May, though he has already gotten a first-hand look at the instability of the news industry.

Though Hughes declined to talk about the experience, he said he was “really fortunate” to land at WFSB, broadcasting in New England, and that the weather team at the Rocky Hill-based network had been “phenomenal” in welcoming him to the team.

“Here in New England, we get all four seasons, and we get them all four in full force,” Hughes said. “And I absolutely love that about New England. I love getting to experience everything that each of the four seasons brings. As I look out my window right now, the wind is gusting up, the leaves are falling off the trees. And sooner or later, we’ll be talking about snow.”

Hughes is set to cover Thursday and Friday weather, primarily on WWAX, WSFB’s sub-station, but with a noon appearance on WFSB. He also will broadcast on the weekend evening shows, which Gagliardi covered in his time at the station.