Friends, colleagues, and community members are remembering Elise Finch, an acclaimed, two-time Emmy-winning meteorologist for CBS New York affiliate WCBS-TV, who died Friday (July 14) at a local hospital, according to reports. She was 51. The cause of her death has not been revealed.

In a statement, the station paid tribute to Finch describing her as “a gifted and consummate professional.”

“Elise has been a friend and team member at WCBS for 16 years. She first joined the team in 2007 as our weekend meteorologist and was most recently on the morning news with Mary Calvi and Chris Wragge,” the statement continued. “In September, Elise joined Cindy Hsu on the 9 a.m. newscast.”

“She was also a wonderful ambassador in the community, including her hometown of Mount Vernon. She was our bright light in the morning. We had the great pleasure of working with Elise for 16 years,” the statement read.

Born and raised in Mount Vernon, N.Y., Finch graduated from Mount Vernon High School and Georgetown University where she was honored with the prestigious President's Award. At Syracuse University, she earned her master’s degree in broadcast journalism. Additionally, she completed the broadcast meteorology program at Mississippi State University and holds the seal of approval from the American Meteorological Society.

Finch launched her career at E! Entertainment Television as a production coordinator for special projects and live events. Eventually, she transitioned to meteorology where she worked at several local news affiliates in the small towns of Austin, Minn., and Youngstown, Ohio before joining Phoenix’s CBS affiliate. She was also a meteorologist for the Early Today Show on MSNBC and NBC Weather Plus. In 2007, she began he tenure at CBS New York where she would work for the next 16 years.

In her distinguished career, she won an Emmy in 2018 and another in 2019.

Finch is survived by her husband Graig Henriques and their daughter Grace.

Many of Finch’s colleagues from CBS New York took to social media to offer their condolences and to share memories

“I am so devastated to hear of the passing of my friend and colleague @EliseFinch. She was the best. A caring soul,” wrote Otis Livingston, Sports Director at CBS New York

“We were just speaking a few weeks ago about her beautiful daughter Grace and my new Grandson,” his tweet continued. “My family’s thoughts and prayers go out to her family and friends that loved her so much.”

New York City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams also praised Finch for her contributions to the region as a weatherperson.

“Shocked to learn about the passing of Elise Finch. A member of @akasorority1908, Elise served as CBS’ meteorologist for over a decade and graced thousands of households with her genius,” Adams tweeted. “She will truly be missed. My prayers go to her family and friends.”