He worked at WLBT, the NBC television network affiliate in Jackson, from 1953 to 2001, and after his retirement he was reported to be the weatherman with the second longest tenure at the same station in U.S. broadcasting history.

He graduated from McComb High School, and then attended Southwest Mississippi Junior College and Louisiana State University.

In the beginning he did a variety of jobs at the station, including recording commercials, selling advertising, and reporting news, sports and weather.

He qualified all his weather reports with the line "The weatherman says...") He became a well-known and iconic figure in Mississippi throughout his time at WLBT, also due to his efforts in fundraising and community activities.

Woodie Assaf died of natural causes at Riggs Manor Retirement Center in Raymond, Mississippi, on November 13, 2009.