TV Meteorologist

TV Meteorologist

Kevin Selle

Wichita Falls, TX

Male, 55

I've been a broadcast meteorologist on television since the early 1990's. Happy to answer any questions about the weather or local TV news. Yes, I often wear sneakers on set just out of view of the camera.

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326 Questions

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Last Answer on December 24, 2019

Best Rated

Is working for the Weather Channel the dream job for TV weather folks?

Asked by KC89 over 11 years ago

Some yes, others no. Many many years ago I was recruited by The Weather Channel. They have a number of very very smart folks who you never, or rarely, see on camera, and working with them was very appealing. The idea of hurricane briefings from the legendary John Hope was great. Ultimately my choice was against doing more broad national coverage over and over again in favor of a more specific area. There is a saying, "Like politics, all weather is local." Thanks!

How accurate can Day 10 of a 10-day forecast possibly be? Put another way, how far out can you forecast weather with relative certainty?

Asked by Bradbury451 over 11 years ago

Great question. My observation is that once you get past 3 days, what begins to vary the most is timing. Major features will start to shift faster or slower which can, by 5 to 7 days, mean a difference of 12 to 24 hours or sometimes more. At ten days you start to see things appear and disappear or dramatically shift from day to day or run to run of the forecast models. Personally, I'm not fond of the 10 day forecast, but, the things learned by doing it now informs the research that makes them better. Short answer, 10 day forecast...not great.

As a weather guy, are there business opptys that you can foresee that civilians cannot? To use a silly example, knowing it's gonna be a high precipitation year and investing in an umbrella company...

Asked by Shadow1 over 11 years ago

Hmmm...what is that umbrella company ticker symbol again? :) Excellent question.  Actually there is a pretty large industry of private weather companies that do forcasting.  Power companies do seasonal outlooks to anticipate demand.  Trucking companies and airlines employ meteorologists for short and long range information.  And, closer to your example, I believe clothing retailers will consider seasonal forecasts to determine inventory types and levels.  Thanks!

All else being equal, who do you think is more likely to get the weatherman job nowadays: the funny male, or the hot female?

Asked by Arlington Drew over 11 years ago

Hmmm...trick question. I guess my hope is that the one that has the best meteorology chops gets the job. That said, different markets, and more and more these days, different stations, have different requirements. I recently saw an ad for a weather person in which the bulk of the job description asked for someone who was not afraid to give their opinions on the news stories of the day. Thanks, Drew.

I am 55 and have never in my life have witnessed a lightning storm that had absolutely no sound. I have video but the file is too long to prove this. There should have been loud claps and rolling deep thunder. But nothing. Can you explain this?

Asked by Vicki about 11 years ago

Great question, Vicki.  Without knowing the exact circumstances I can tell you that light travels farther than sound.  On average, depending on conditions, the sound of thunder will travel an average of 15 miles.  Thanks!

ever include inside jokes or subliminal messages during a weather report, where the audience has no clue it's even happening?

Asked by lucky777 over 11 years ago

Hmmm...can't think of any. But I will say my wife and some of my neighbors do know certain keywords to listen for during severe weather near my home!

crazy hypothetical but indulge me. let's say my local weather guy predicts a sunny day, and it turns out to be a hurricane. thinking it was gonna be nice out, i didn't prepare for a hurricane and my house gets damaged. could I sue the news program?

Asked by howard (edenton, NC) over 11 years ago

Thanks, Howard. Here is my best analysis, and, of course, I'm not a lawyer. Forecasting can be considered as less than an exact science, and in some ways, a bit of an art. Those of us that seriously practice that art, meaning we have a certain amount of study or serious history in the science of meteorology, are given some level of protection. Now, if a given station provided you with a forecast from an unknown or unreliable source, could you attempt to hold that station accountable? You could certainly make that argument and then it would be up to a judge or jury. Obviously no meteorologist or television station would directly cause any damage, you would need prove some sort of negligence in information gathering, which is unlikely given that a "weather presenter" would mostly likely get their information from a source like the National Weather Service, which obviously has credibility. Good question, thanks.