by Marty Brown
Northern News Services

NNSL (Jan 15/97) -Ever since Grade 6, Didiodato has never wanted to be anything but a weatherman.

After a degree in physics from the University of New Brunswick, he came to Fort Reliance to measure, tabulate and record weather.

The highlight of Franco Didiodato's 18-year career as a Northern weather specialist had to be when Pope John Paul was locked in the weather office.

Didiodato, a practising Catholic, won't ever forget that September day in 1984.

One hour before the pope was to fly into Fort Simpson, fog rolled in and his plane was diverted to Yellowknife. Most of the dignitaries, media and security were on the shores of the Mackenzie River waiting for his holiness.

But word got out and soon a crowd was waiting for him in the old Yellowknife airport terminal.

"The Pope came into the terminal building and because of security, it was decided to tape the Pope's speech for the people of Fort Simpson. And where was there an office with locks on the door? The weather office," Didiodato said.

So the weatherman found himself locked in his own office with the Pope's security, the media and His Holiness himself.

"He looked worried, a little insecure. After all, there'd been an attempt on his life a few months before," Didiodato said.

No, he didn't ask for an autograph, but did give the cardinals in attendance a signed satellite photograph of the area, which they seemed to like.

The only reason Didiodato is leaving the North is because the Yellowknife weather office will be closed by March.

Technology has taken over weather reporting and recording. There were very few computers in 1982. Now there are fewer weather forecasters in Canada -- dropping from 1500 a few years ago to roughly 700 now.

Didiodato and his wife first met at the weather station in Sach's Harbour, where they were both meteorologists, and came to Yellowknife because there was cheap housing -- the federal government subsidized apartments, which made up for the low salaries, Didiodato said.

Although Didiodato never thinks of himself as being in show business, he's heard on Northern radio more often than recording star George Jones or even Elvis Presley. Ten times a day on three radio stations, listeners get up-to-date weather reports from real meteorologists and over the years Didiodato has built up a good rapport with announcers.

One last weather report before the weather specialist leaves town: Global warming is coming, you can bank on it he said.