Puzzled fans ask: What happened to WSFA's Rich Thomas?

Mystery surrounds the recent vanishing of a Montgomery weatherman, and his many fans want to know what happened.

Rich Thomas has been a staple in the Montgomery area, providing weather, news and updates for decades. He has been an employee for the local television broadcast station, WSFA 12 News, for 33 years.

This week, the Advertiser learned that Thomas is no longer with the news station and many viewers and readers are wondering why.

A search for Thomas' Twitter account and Facebook page will come up void, as if they never existed.

When fans of WSFA confronted the media outlet on Facebook asking, "What happened to Rich Thomas?" WSFA's weather page responded, saying Thomas was no longer employed with the company.

"We want to thank Rich for his 33 years of service to WSFA and our viewers. We wish Rich the very best in his future endeavors," WSFA's Facebook post read in part.

Eric Duncan, the general manager of WSFA, said he could make no additional comment, except that it was a personnel matter.

Thousands of people took to the Advertiser's Facebook page to express their love and concern for the popular weatherman.

Thomas grew up in Sheffield Lake, Ohio, on Lake Erie and graduated from the University of Southern Mississippi with a degree in Broadcast Communications and Journalism, according to WSFA's website. Later he enrolled at Mississippi State University for his education in meteorology.

His first job in Montgomery was working at WHHY/Y-102 radio, and he later came to work for WSFA 12 News in 1981, according to the website. He became the organization's chief meteorologist in 1983.

Thomas is a member of the American Meteorological Society and the National Weather Association. In 2007, the National Weather Service presented him with the Mark Trail Award for promoting the NOAA Weather Radio. He is also the three-time winner of the Associated Press Best Weathercaster award.