About us/Dave Holder
Education
Las Positas Community College, General Education
University of Oklahoma, B.S. Meteorology
Q&A with Dave Holder
About Dave:
Born in England and having lived in multiple locations across the US, Dave has experienced the full spectrum of people and places over the years. Always looking for the next adventure and curious of the world around him, he went to school originally in pursuit of a degree in sociology and political science before deciding his true calling was in the field of meteorology. After heading to Oklahoma, storm chasing became an integral part of his life, and learning about weather now came from being in the field along with the classroom. Knowing that storm chasing wasn't going to be a full-time job, Dave focused his attention on the broadcast aspect of meteorology. Forecasting, explaining, and teaching his meteorological knowledge to others became of importance, and he has been very fortunate to do so in multiple stops, including Quincy, IL, Eugene, OR, and Bismarck, ND. Dave joined the WeatherNation team in the Fall of 2022.
What inspired you to become a meteorologist?
From as long as I remember, I have been obsessed with weather. As a child, I was terrified by it, in particular by thunderstorms and their tornadic potential. I would watch the local radar on cable TV religiously, as kids of the same age would watch Saturday morning cartoons. As I grew, my fear turned into fascination. However, my parents decided to move me to California as a young teenager, unfortunately not the greatest place for a budding meteorologist! It wasn't until I moved back to Pennsylvania in my early 20s that my love of weather was rekindled and I decided to pursue a career in it!
What is your most memorable weather experience?
I've been lucky enough to experience some very historical storms over the years. My earliest weather memory is perhaps my most memorable, that being the Great Storm of October 1987 that battered portions of England. I recall being a very small child and listening to the winds howl over the roof all night long. I also was able to experience 1993's Storm of the Century in the northern suburbs of Philadelphia, a storm that is still remembered as one of the strongest in generations. A few other events that I witnessed that I was profoundly affected by were the Super Outbreak of April 27, 2011, and the tornadoes of Moore and El Reno in late May, 2013.
Outside of weather, what are your hobbies and interests?
Being a general nerd first-and-foremost, I have a quite a few hobbies that include collecting coins, shot glasses, sports cards, and researching family trees. I love geology, history, aviation, politics, hiking, kayaking, playing poker, playing guitar, and trying to find the best airfare deal to the next place on Earth I haven't visited yet!
Besides your parents, who as influenced you the most in your life?
As I was somewhat reserved when younger (not so much anymore!) much of my inspirations and influences came from the TV and radio. I was always glued to any documentary that featured weather, particularly those about tornadoes. Music always had a big influence on my life as well, and I spent many hours with headphones on! I suppose you can say I was raised by PBS and a plethora of 80s music artists!
What is a little known fact about you?
Being born in England, I am a dual-citizen! I've also driven across the country nearly 10 times and managed to visit every state by the time I turned 23.
What are your hopes and dreams for the profession of weather?
Meteorology is still a new science relatively. Much of what is possible in forecasting is only as good as our global observations and what our computing power allows. As supercomputers become more powerful, so too does our ability to forecast, but additional surface observations across the globe are needed. I'd love to see better networks incorporating this data across the far flung reaches of the globe, in particular at both our polar and tropical latitudes.