Tim Smith is as much a fixture in the Rio Grande Valley as palm trees and ruby red grapefruit. To some viewers, he’s Tío Tim: a member of the family.

Growing up in the bitter winters of Indiana, Smith never imagined he would become the most trusted weatherman in South Texas. After graduating from Indiana University with a degree in broadcast journalism, he heard from a college buddy working at KRGV in Weslaco. He urged Smith to apply for a spot on the weathercast. “It was snowing in Indiana and the pictures of the Rio Grande Valley showed beaches and palm trees,” Smith says. “I took a chance.”

That was 1981. Now in his 43rd year at KRGV, Smith feels right at home. “I’ve been fortunate that I feel like I’ve become friends with the whole audience,” he says.

Most of the time, Smith forecasts warm and breezy or just plain hot for the Valley, but he’s dealt with plenty of storms, too. In 1999, the National Hurricane Center forecast Bret—a Category 4 storm—to track up the mouth of the Rio Grande. But after conferring with colleagues, Smith predicted Bret would curve north. Then came an irate call from an emergency manager on the lower Texas coast, who told Smith blood would be on his hands if the hurricane hit the Valley. (The concern was that residents would stop evacuating.)

Thankfully, Hurricane Bret swerved north into King Ranch, sparing populated areas. “Going against the NHS is a gutsy call,” Smith says. “But I’ve been forecasting hurricanes down here for a long time.”

On Christmas Eve 2004, a wintry mix was in the forecast—but the Valley hadn’t seen snow since 1895. “I didn’t want to get folks’ hopes up. If you use the S word, it better happen,” Smith says. “Then, they’re coming out of midnight Mass and it’s snowing! How cool is that?”

1 ⁄ EL PLEBE TACOS & BEER GARDEN, WESLACO & MCALLEN

El Plebe—or “the commoner”—started as a taco truck and is now a restaurant that blends authentic street tacos with elevated Mexican cuisine. “It’s an old house converted into a taqueria where you can sit out back and eat your street tacos and drink beer,” Smith says.

2 ⁄ MARGO’S SNO WIZ, WESLACO

When Smith forecasts another 105-degree scorcher, head to Margo’s for shaved ice. Its specialties resemble ice cream sundaes and come in a variety of flavors: horchata, sweet rice milk flavored with vanilla and cinnamon; caramel cream with almonds and dulce de leche; and Chocolate Rumble with marshmallows, almonds, and chocolate syrup.

3 ⁄ WANNA WANNA INN BEACH BAR & GRILL, SOUTH PADRE ISLAND

Smith spends weekends with his wife, Nora, at their condo on South Padre Island. “I love to sit outside on the beach at Wanna’s, get a fried fish plate, listen to live music, and just enjoy a beautiful day on the island,” he says.

4 ⁄ LA SAL DEL REY, EDINBURG

This natural salt lake about 20 miles north of Edinburg has been mined for salt since Texas was part of the Spanish colonial empire. Hence the name: the King’s Salt. Before the Spaniards, Aztec and Huastecan people harvested salt here. During the Civil War, salt from this coastal plain was a valuable trade commodity for the Confederacy. “I like the history behind it and the uniqueness of it,” Smith says. “You don’t find salt lakes in a lot of places, and we have one here.”

5 ⁄ LONG ISLAND VILLAGE, PORT ISABEL

This vacation community is Smith’s favorite vantage point to see launches from Elon Musk’s SpaceX. “You see the flames and smoke, then about 25 seconds later the sound arrives,” Smith says. “It’s loud!”