Hello Everyone! I thought things would settle down once the spring semester was over, but boy was I mistaken! Like Ava, I was fortunate enough to attend the AMS 36th Conference on Broadcast Meteorology. I opted to be a student volunteer so I got to be a part of the behind the scenes action. I met some wonderful Meteorologists and made some invaluable contacts. Not to mention some excellent presentations on global climate change, communicating the uncertainty in forecasting, and the crazy weather of Colorado.
After the conference was over, it was back to the station for the morning newscasts. After I graduate, I'm moving back home until I can get a job. Until then, I'm trying to do as much as I can around the station. Gaining as much experience in the industry as I can will be crucial to my success in getting a job. I've started looking around, but it will become my full focus as soon as school is out. I know Chris Yates had an interview recently and I hope that it went well!
Between interning here at the station, taking summer classes, and looking for jobs, it's been a busy summer. Thank goodness for the temperatures in the high 90s, otherwise I wouldn't know it was summer at all! It's been a hot, dry, and therefore dangerous season so far. Our hearts go out to all of the families affected by wildfires. There will be some relief in the next few days as a cold front passes through our area tonight. A slight break in the heat, but not much in the way of moisture. Things will heat back up just in time for the work week.
Thankfully, among all of the craziness, there is a light at the end of the tunnel. Only eleven days of class left, which means only eleven days till I graduate! I cannot wait! I will definitely miss interning here at the station, being a college student, and living here in Denver. I have loved every minute of my time out here!
Stay cool and hydrated in this crazy heat! Enjoy the rest of the summer. In eleven days, I plan on it!
Friday, July 11, 2008
Saturday, June 28, 2008
Hello from the long lost intern...
Hello everyone. It's been quite some time since I've written on the intern blog; relentless 10 page papers held me captive all school year, refusing to let me blog. But it's finally the summer (practically mid-summer) and I can share with you my latest meteorology experience...
I spent the last few days on “cloud” nine surrounded by TV weather personalities from all over the country. For an aspiring meteorologist; it just doesn’t get much better than that.
The American Meteorological Society held it's 36th annual Broadcast Conference at the fabulous Grand Hyatt hotel in Downtown Denver. The four-day conference brought together over 100 meteorologists to network, share ideas and tackle such important topics as how to communicate climate change.
I was fortunate enough to be able to attend the conference in a “right place at the right time” sort of deal. I am interning at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) in Boulder, Colo., and was asked to help with NOAA’s booth at the conference. Free entrance to the conference, and the opportunity to meet meteorologists from around the country – I couldn’t say "no" to that. Even better was the fact that I would also get to personally guide the broadcasters on their tour of the NOAA building in Boulder.
The conference, in all, was a great experience. I spoke with a lot of great people, made some invaluable contacts and attended a very compelling talk about the improvements that have been made in tornado warnings over the last 50 years. But the ultimate moment had to have been when I was introduced to Bryan Busby, the Chief Meteorologist at Channel 9 in Kansas City, the station I’m hoping to intern for in the fall. Coincidentally, Bryan Busby and Mike Nelson are old friends, as they were friendly competitors at rival stations once upon a time in St. Louis.
Where I go to school, Bryan Busby is “the man”, being one of the top meteorologists in the Kansas City area. But even Bryan humbled himself by admitting that he still looks up to Mike Nelson. I think it’s great to know that even the big shots have their own idols. I wonder who Mike idolizes...
Overall, the conference was a tremendous experience and I am grateful for being able to attend. Getting a chance to speak with people who are doing what I aspire to do was both encouraging and motivational. The broadcast realm is a tricky business to get into, but enticing none the less. In less than a year, I will hopefully be a part of the business so that someday, at a future AMS Broadcast Conference, an aspiring meteorologist may actually be excited to meet me.
I spent the last few days on “cloud” nine surrounded by TV weather personalities from all over the country. For an aspiring meteorologist; it just doesn’t get much better than that.
The American Meteorological Society held it's 36th annual Broadcast Conference at the fabulous Grand Hyatt hotel in Downtown Denver. The four-day conference brought together over 100 meteorologists to network, share ideas and tackle such important topics as how to communicate climate change.
I was fortunate enough to be able to attend the conference in a “right place at the right time” sort of deal. I am interning at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) in Boulder, Colo., and was asked to help with NOAA’s booth at the conference. Free entrance to the conference, and the opportunity to meet meteorologists from around the country – I couldn’t say "no" to that. Even better was the fact that I would also get to personally guide the broadcasters on their tour of the NOAA building in Boulder.
The conference, in all, was a great experience. I spoke with a lot of great people, made some invaluable contacts and attended a very compelling talk about the improvements that have been made in tornado warnings over the last 50 years. But the ultimate moment had to have been when I was introduced to Bryan Busby, the Chief Meteorologist at Channel 9 in Kansas City, the station I’m hoping to intern for in the fall. Coincidentally, Bryan Busby and Mike Nelson are old friends, as they were friendly competitors at rival stations once upon a time in St. Louis.
Where I go to school, Bryan Busby is “the man”, being one of the top meteorologists in the Kansas City area. But even Bryan humbled himself by admitting that he still looks up to Mike Nelson. I think it’s great to know that even the big shots have their own idols. I wonder who Mike idolizes...
Overall, the conference was a tremendous experience and I am grateful for being able to attend. Getting a chance to speak with people who are doing what I aspire to do was both encouraging and motivational. The broadcast realm is a tricky business to get into, but enticing none the less. In less than a year, I will hopefully be a part of the business so that someday, at a future AMS Broadcast Conference, an aspiring meteorologist may actually be excited to meet me.
Tuesday, May 27, 2008
A Wild Day on Thursday
Thursday May 22, 2008 was a chaotic day for most of us here at the station. Thursday is one out of the two days a week I come down to the station for my internship. Last Thursday was not one of the usual days. I was at home getting ready to leave from Greeley when a severe thunderstorm warning was issued for Greeley. Soon after the severe thunderstorm warning the warning turned into a tornado warning. Just as fast as the tornado warning was issued the NWS upgraded the warning to a high threat warning! I knew it was going to be one hell of a trip down to Denver that morning, and was it ever!
I live on the west side of Greeley about 5 miles from highway 34. I am driving and noticing the dark low lying clouds to the west. As I got even closer I notice the clouds were still rotating! I am about 1 mile from highway 34 when I notice all of the power lines down and the dairy farm to the west of my position completely destroyed. I knew this had to be tornado damage and I had to have just missed it. Police closed down the road and informed me that highway 85 was closed and they had just closed 34. How was I going to get to I-25?
I decided to try and head north and catch a westbound highway that would eventually throw me onto I-25. Well after about 7 minutes of driving I ended up in the middle of Windsor. I could not believe it! I had accidentally stumbled upon more tornado damage and I had to have arrived minutes after the tornado had hit. People were still stumbling about. I asked a couple standing at the bottom of their driveway if they needed help. They confirmed for me that it was a tornado, and I made a call to 7News to notify them. Luckily I had my camera in my car, I began to take pictures.
The sight was unbelievable! So much destruction. I was pretty much stuck in Windsor due to all the traffic trying to get in and out, not to mention all of the help trying to get to people injured or still trapped. I was calling a manager at work who I knew lived in Windsor to see if she needed help. Her house was hit and was marked as unlivable. After many attempts to get a hold of her, and with no luck, I managed to get back home and upload my pictures to send to Mike in the weather center. He showed them on the news in the 6 o'clock and the 10 o'clock.
It was a day that I will never forget and an experience that I have never had before. For all the people who were impacted by the deadly tornadoes that day, you are all in my thoughts and prayers!
I live on the west side of Greeley about 5 miles from highway 34. I am driving and noticing the dark low lying clouds to the west. As I got even closer I notice the clouds were still rotating! I am about 1 mile from highway 34 when I notice all of the power lines down and the dairy farm to the west of my position completely destroyed. I knew this had to be tornado damage and I had to have just missed it. Police closed down the road and informed me that highway 85 was closed and they had just closed 34. How was I going to get to I-25?
I decided to try and head north and catch a westbound highway that would eventually throw me onto I-25. Well after about 7 minutes of driving I ended up in the middle of Windsor. I could not believe it! I had accidentally stumbled upon more tornado damage and I had to have arrived minutes after the tornado had hit. People were still stumbling about. I asked a couple standing at the bottom of their driveway if they needed help. They confirmed for me that it was a tornado, and I made a call to 7News to notify them. Luckily I had my camera in my car, I began to take pictures.
The sight was unbelievable! So much destruction. I was pretty much stuck in Windsor due to all the traffic trying to get in and out, not to mention all of the help trying to get to people injured or still trapped. I was calling a manager at work who I knew lived in Windsor to see if she needed help. Her house was hit and was marked as unlivable. After many attempts to get a hold of her, and with no luck, I managed to get back home and upload my pictures to send to Mike in the weather center. He showed them on the news in the 6 o'clock and the 10 o'clock.
It was a day that I will never forget and an experience that I have never had before. For all the people who were impacted by the deadly tornadoes that day, you are all in my thoughts and prayers!
Friday, May 16, 2008
Summer is Almost Here!
As a high pressure system builds in the western US this weekend, it will begin to feel more and more like summer. And I couldn't be happier! Wednesday marked the end of a very long, difficult semester for me at Metro State. The past few weeks have been the busiest of my entire life. An endless stream of papers, projects, and tests kept me working constantly up until the very last minute. On top of all of that, I have been working as much as possible on my audition tape the past few weeks. I absolutely love working up on the chroma-key (green screen) so it doesn't usually feel like work. Lisa has helped me so much through this process and I can't thank her enough. I'm hoping that the work we've been doing will help set me apart from the rest and get me a job by the end of the summer! It's going to be a long and arduous process, but it's something that I want more than I've wanted anything in my life. I'm really looking forward to finishing up my tape and getting out into the real world!
But first, I have to finish up my degree this summer. I'll be taking two upper level math classes and will continue taking forecasting classes in the coming months. Senioritis is definitely kicking in, especially after the past few weeks. The beginning of August cannot come soon enough! I'll keep interning at KMGH-TV this summer as well. I want to learn as much as I can and gain as much experience as possible before I graduate.
Thankfully, I get a week and half break before summer classes start. No rest for the weary, however. I'm flying home to Chicago for a few days, then off to Maryland for my best friend's graduation and commissioning from the Naval Academy. I'm so proud of her and can't wait to spend some time with her! Then it's back to Chicago for a few days before returning to Denver for school. It's going to be busy, but a lot of fun!
Congratulations to Chris Yates and all of the graduates out there! Enjoy the nice weather!
But first, I have to finish up my degree this summer. I'll be taking two upper level math classes and will continue taking forecasting classes in the coming months. Senioritis is definitely kicking in, especially after the past few weeks. The beginning of August cannot come soon enough! I'll keep interning at KMGH-TV this summer as well. I want to learn as much as I can and gain as much experience as possible before I graduate.
Thankfully, I get a week and half break before summer classes start. No rest for the weary, however. I'm flying home to Chicago for a few days, then off to Maryland for my best friend's graduation and commissioning from the Naval Academy. I'm so proud of her and can't wait to spend some time with her! Then it's back to Chicago for a few days before returning to Denver for school. It's going to be busy, but a lot of fun!
Congratulations to Chris Yates and all of the graduates out there! Enjoy the nice weather!
Monday, May 5, 2008
Spring Weather
This spring semester of my internship at KMGH Channel 7 has given me invaluable experience forecasting some of the most unpredictable weather in the world. Speaking mainly of the Front Range cities in Colorado, of course, I've seen record snowfall amounts in the high country, Chinook winds that rattle the windows in Boulder, a 'light dusting' that brought four inches of heavy wet unexpected snow to the metro area, and I've seen boring days of zonal flow that lead to an uneventful afternoon at the station.
Forecasting the weather for 100 cities across Colorado on a biweekly basis has been a challenging, ongoing and highly educational process. Colorado cities are unique because as a group, they have over 5000 feet of altitude difference from the plains to the high country, this phenomenon is something that the forecast models tend to 'smooth over,' leaving the human forecaster with the task of combining interpretation of the models with knowledge of the topography of a given area to come up with a forecast that is reasonably accurate. As for my own skill, I have yet to promise snow on a perfectly sunny day, and I have yet to promise warmth on a day that brings shivers. That being said, I've had my share of being wrong.
One afternoon in February I was unable to correctly forecast the abrupt snow that blanketed the unprepared Denver Metro area simply because I failed to look out the window. Had I looked to the western sky, I would have recognized the cloud banding indicative of a heavier snow than any of the models were predicting. From that day forward, I take a walk outside the windowless studio and look to the sky before entering my forecast for the day.
The internship at KMGH has shown me what it is like to work in the field of broadcast meteorology. Weather is news, especially in Colorado where unsettled weather is a daily occurrence. The job of the broadcast meteorologist is to give the most accurate and understandable weather depiction available on an hourly basis, while issuing appropriate weather ticker warnings in congruence with the National Weather Service.
Another resource for weather news is thedenverchannel.com, which is updated by interns and meteorologists multiple times in a day with up-to-the-minute weather information as it becomes available to us here at the station. The Internet is important because people who are unable to catch the nightly newscast still need accurate weather information from a source they trust. in this case, KMGH is (and always should be) that source. On thedenverchannel.com, weather maps, planning forecasts, and point forecasts are available for locations all over Colorado.
My experience at KMGH has been incredibly high-impact. The forecast that I prepare is the one that goes up on-screen for the entire audience of KMGH to see. I produce, render, and compile the seven-day forecast for Denver with a guiding hand from Mike Nelson and Tony Laubach, I combine the forecast with weather graphics that go onto the green-screen for Mike Nelson's afternoon broadcast. I maintain up-to-date- weather information on the Internet at thedenverchannel.com. This experience will add to my resume when I apply for a career in broadcast meteorology.
Overall, I'm sad that this semester, and my internship are comming to an end. I hope to continue my pursuit of a career in broadcast meteorology as my college experience progresses.
Forecasting the weather for 100 cities across Colorado on a biweekly basis has been a challenging, ongoing and highly educational process. Colorado cities are unique because as a group, they have over 5000 feet of altitude difference from the plains to the high country, this phenomenon is something that the forecast models tend to 'smooth over,' leaving the human forecaster with the task of combining interpretation of the models with knowledge of the topography of a given area to come up with a forecast that is reasonably accurate. As for my own skill, I have yet to promise snow on a perfectly sunny day, and I have yet to promise warmth on a day that brings shivers. That being said, I've had my share of being wrong.
One afternoon in February I was unable to correctly forecast the abrupt snow that blanketed the unprepared Denver Metro area simply because I failed to look out the window. Had I looked to the western sky, I would have recognized the cloud banding indicative of a heavier snow than any of the models were predicting. From that day forward, I take a walk outside the windowless studio and look to the sky before entering my forecast for the day.
The internship at KMGH has shown me what it is like to work in the field of broadcast meteorology. Weather is news, especially in Colorado where unsettled weather is a daily occurrence. The job of the broadcast meteorologist is to give the most accurate and understandable weather depiction available on an hourly basis, while issuing appropriate weather ticker warnings in congruence with the National Weather Service.
Another resource for weather news is thedenverchannel.com, which is updated by interns and meteorologists multiple times in a day with up-to-the-minute weather information as it becomes available to us here at the station. The Internet is important because people who are unable to catch the nightly newscast still need accurate weather information from a source they trust. in this case, KMGH is (and always should be) that source. On thedenverchannel.com, weather maps, planning forecasts, and point forecasts are available for locations all over Colorado.
My experience at KMGH has been incredibly high-impact. The forecast that I prepare is the one that goes up on-screen for the entire audience of KMGH to see. I produce, render, and compile the seven-day forecast for Denver with a guiding hand from Mike Nelson and Tony Laubach, I combine the forecast with weather graphics that go onto the green-screen for Mike Nelson's afternoon broadcast. I maintain up-to-date- weather information on the Internet at thedenverchannel.com. This experience will add to my resume when I apply for a career in broadcast meteorology.
Overall, I'm sad that this semester, and my internship are comming to an end. I hope to continue my pursuit of a career in broadcast meteorology as my college experience progresses.
Tuesday, April 15, 2008
Clock's Ticking!!!!!!
Hey all, Chris here with another blog. It has been a crazy, wonderful, and even a stressful month...in a good way. I am graduating in less than 1 month, wow less than a month. For the past 3 months I have been sending out several resumes to several different stations across the country, I have my fingers crossed that I will land a job somewhere in this difficult profession. I am also in the middle of planning my wedding with my beautiful fiance Krista. All this makes it an exciting time in my life.
As my journey here at 7 news slowly comes to an end, I know that I have been very lucky to work with such a fine group of meteorologist. The 24/7 Weather crew have provided me with a great education and understanding of being a broadcast meteorologist. So thank you Mike, Richard, Scott, and Lisa!!! Because of their help I am confident that I will succeed somewhere down the road as a broadcast meteorologist.
Okay, enough of this emotional blah....Lets talk about weather!!!!!!
You can't deny that the warm temperatures we saw the past couple days have been welcomed by many...except for me. I am all about snow, but I have severe weather to look forward to this spring!!! After what was a summer like day today, will turn to a winter like day tomorrow as cold, rain, and snow return to the metro area. Don't expect to much though as it appears accumulations will be light. But, warm spring like weather will return for a beautiful weekend!!!!
Thanks for reading, i'll be back soon.
As my journey here at 7 news slowly comes to an end, I know that I have been very lucky to work with such a fine group of meteorologist. The 24/7 Weather crew have provided me with a great education and understanding of being a broadcast meteorologist. So thank you Mike, Richard, Scott, and Lisa!!! Because of their help I am confident that I will succeed somewhere down the road as a broadcast meteorologist.
Okay, enough of this emotional blah....Lets talk about weather!!!!!!
You can't deny that the warm temperatures we saw the past couple days have been welcomed by many...except for me. I am all about snow, but I have severe weather to look forward to this spring!!! After what was a summer like day today, will turn to a winter like day tomorrow as cold, rain, and snow return to the metro area. Don't expect to much though as it appears accumulations will be light. But, warm spring like weather will return for a beautiful weekend!!!!
Thanks for reading, i'll be back soon.
Sunday, March 23, 2008
A Wild Start for Spring!!
Weather has made it a wild start to the Spring season. Although it has been a mild start to spring for us, it has been a much different story for those in the Midwest. A massive storm that could have brought heavy snow to the Denver area missed us by a couple hundred miles. When it move further eastward it began to stall out and mix with moisture from the Gulf of Mexico. This allowed for some areas in the mid west to pick up over 3 inches of rain!!! The heavy rain caused flooding which is still plaguing the area today. To make matters worse, areas to the north are picking up record snowfall which will begin to melt over the next couple days only to create more flooding in the flood stricken areas.
As spring has begun, so has "senioritis", well at least for me. I am graduating in May and I am very excited. Recently I have been sending out several resumes across the country only hoping to land a job as a Meteorologist for a T.V. Station. I am very confident that I will succeed, not because I am cocky, but because I feel that the weather team here at channel 7 have prepared me to become a successful meteorologist. So, wish me luck on my carreer and hopefully you will see me on the tube!!!
As spring has begun, so has "senioritis", well at least for me. I am graduating in May and I am very excited. Recently I have been sending out several resumes across the country only hoping to land a job as a Meteorologist for a T.V. Station. I am very confident that I will succeed, not because I am cocky, but because I feel that the weather team here at channel 7 have prepared me to become a successful meteorologist. So, wish me luck on my carreer and hopefully you will see me on the tube!!!
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