Krista Villarreal returns to D-FW, pulls a weekend shift on "The 33"

Former NBC5 weathercaster Krista Villarreal

By ED BARK
Yes, that was former NBC5 meteorologist Krista Villarreal taking temperatures over the weekend on "The 33's" 9 p.m. newscasts.

Whether her future holds much more than that is still unclear. News director David Duitch couldn't be reached Monday. A voice mail message said he was out of the office.

Villarreal does have time on her hands. She returned to D-FW earlier this month to join her husband, who began a new job here in October. Villarreal had been the early morning and noon weathercaster at Pittsburgh's WPXI-TV since January of 2007. It's the same station that recently hired former CBS11 early morning meteorologist Julie Bologna to be its primary weathercaster in the city where she was raised.

Villarreal did the weekend weather for six years at NBC5 before joining WPXI. "The 33's" weather picture currently is clouded. As previously reported, weekday meteorologist Bob Goosmann has been offered a take-it-or-leave-it deal to do weekend weather while otherwise doing general assignment reporting for three days a week at a 30 percent pay cut.

"The 33" also has used former NBC5 early morning meteorologist Rebecca Miller on weekends. She also has filled in on occasion for Goosmann. The station recently dumped weeknight anchor Terri Chappell, who had anchored the 9 p.m. newscasts for the past 10 years.