Broadcast Meteorology - University of Washington

Careers in Atmospheric
Sciences:
Broadcast Meteorology
Shannon O’Donnell
Meteorologist at KOMO-TV &
KOMO NewsRadio in Seattle,
Research Scientist at University of Washington
An Early Interest In Weather
• Like many people that get into the field, had a
love for weather as a small child
• Violent storms/tornado sirens
at grandparents’ in Wisconsin
• Weather unit in 2nd grade culminated with
local weatherman Harry
Wappler visiting, and I
was hooked
The Path to the Career
• Met with Department Chair & Advisor
• Worked for Professor Robert Houze in atmospheric
research at the UW 1991-2001
• Interned at KING5 in 1993-1994
• Produced weather at KOMO4 in 1994-1995
• Graduated from the University of Washington in 1995
with B.S. in atmospheric sciences
• Broadcast meteorologist (for NWCN, KING5, KNTV in
SF, then back to KOMO4 in Seattle) for 20 years
• Went back to work in research at UW in 2015
• Also freelance as a ‘forensic meteorologist’
KOMO Building, Downtown Seattle
ATG Building, University of Washington
Steps To Take Before Choosing
Atmospheric Sciences As A Major:
• Develop a strong base in mathematics, physics
and chemistry (STEM)
• Meet with people in the field
& see if you can ‘job shadow’
them for a few hours
{Groundhog Job Shadow Day!}
After Choosing Major:
• Find work as an undergraduate assistant
within the Department…assisting with various
tasks such as field campaigns, data analysis
• Attain an internship at one of
the local tv stations (KOMO4)
• Networking with those in field
will help you find your own job
upon graduation
Working Out In the Field
• Round out your background & expertise by
participating in a field campaign
• Opportunities through NOAA and the UW—
many within the Department worked on
OLYMPEX this past winter
• Enriching experience that better shapes your
understanding of weather and forecasting
COAST
Coastal
Observation
And
Simulation
with
Topography
Aboard the NOAA Ship Discoverer:
Post Graduation Trip…
Launching Radiosondes on the
NOAA Ship Discoverer
Changing Out Buoy Instrumentation
Pursuing TV Meteorology
Internship at the local station is crucial to decide
whether or not you like:
• The work environment
• The deadline-oriented
focus on a daily basis
• The impromptu
speaking element
• The nutty hours/holidays
• The city you work in
The KOMO4 Weather Internship
Current UW Atmospheric Sciences Undergrads
Chelsea Mealey & Tessa Vollrath
From UW to Television!
Recent KOMO Interns Now Working On The Air:
Brad Carl
Jordan Wilkerson
Kelley Bayern
Making a Resume Tape!
• Practice Makes Perfect!
• Learning to time out your
presentation is hardest
part of the process
• Try to be concise yet
informative, and strike a
balance between scientific information and
“will I get wet at my kids’ soccer game?”
From UW Atmospheric Sciences to
Seattle Television!
Seattle Broadcasters With Atmospheric Sciences
Degrees from the University of Washington
Jeff Renner
Scott Sistek
MJ McDermott
Typical Day In TV Weather:
• Come in a few hours before air time to go over the
current weather scenario
• Read over data (observations, radar, satellite) and
models to construct a forecast
{my method:
where we’ve been (climate),
where we are (current)
where we’re going (models}
Typical Day in TV Weather, Cont.
• Construct graphical presentation that goes
along with your forecast
Time To Be Serious:
Dangerous Weather Conditions
In the Northwest, flooding can cause
widespread damage & destruction
Wind storms & snow storms are also
major weather stories in the NW
Time for lighter weather stories,
too…Toy Drives, Ice Skating, Etc.
Facebook &Twitter: Social Media Is
Huge Part of the Job
Seattle, we love you just the way you are. Hopefully
@billyjoel will too, playing under mainly cloudy skies
tonight at #TheSafe.
#
#Seattle aiming to please by delivering up
our cloudy, drizzle-y, GRAY reputation for
filming #50shadesdarker today.
Tea time or tee time? I say the former,
@BradGoodeKOMO wants the latter. Whether to
sip or swing on #komonews at 11.
How many of us in #Seattle feel now that the
#blankieisback! Game over for the latest May
#heatwave in #PugetSound.
#QueenBey = fierce hair. But
#BeckyWithTheGoodHair better watch it: showers
in #Seattle tonight! #FormationWorldTour
We do loads of station tours…here are
the Girl Scouts from Bryant Elementary
Plenty of Celebrations…
…and celebrities come visit, too.
For presenting, we have a camera in
front of us, and monitors to the sides
Presenting in Front
of the
CHROMAKEY!
• Takes plenty of practice!
• Can’t wear the color
green
• No graphics behind you,
but you can see them in
the camera in front of
you and monitors to the
sides
• Works like an ‘opposite
mirror’
Wearing a beautiful green dress…
…looks like this on the air…!
But makes for a fun Halloween prank
Sometimes we stand by other
monitors…no chromakey
Or we sit at the anchor desk (brand
new set)
Former set…retired last year and given
to stations in smaller markets
Outreach is a big part of the
job…asked to do loads of school talks
#STEM outreach for young children
AMS WeatherFest 2017
Mariners Weather Education Day
Kids working on a rain gauge
competition for OLYMPEX outreach
OLYMPEX: A UW-NASA experiment to
validate the GPM Satellite
OLYMPEX: Equipment Vs. Animals
OLYMPEX: Equipment Vs. The
Elements
OLYMPEX: Radars & Radiosondes
OLYMPEX: Let’s. Measure. RAIN!
Broadcasting: A fun way to use your
Atmospheric Sciences degree to get
the word out about the weather!