When Douglas Paul Kruhoeffer, a.k.a. Paul Douglas, left KARE-11's "back yard" in 1994 for a forecasting job in Chicago, we guessed the guy had just gotten too big for this place. After all, the affable weatherman had, among other things, created a computer graphics firm (which provided special effects for Steven Spielberg's Jurassic Park), and published a book (Prairie Skies: The Minnesota Weather Book). Additionally, according to the Star Tribune, he was the Twin Cities' preferred meteorologist at the time. On top of the weather map, as it were. So even though it's already been three years since Douglas came back from the Windy City to sign a contract with WCCO-TV (Channel 4), we still can't forget what we almost lost. Besides actually knowing his subject (a rarity these days), Douglas has the ability to deliver the highs and lows without taking himself too seriously. In fact, the 41-year-old is one of the few local broadcasters with a genuine on-air personality--a gift for intelligent (read: tolerable) banter. You get the feeling he actually cares whether it's going to rain tomorrow. We only wish this perennially pale guy could find some time to get a little more sun.