About us/Kevin Schneider
Education
University of Missouri-Columbia, Bachelor's Degree in Atmospheric Science
Q&A with Kevin Schneider
About Kevin:
Kevin grew up in Springfield, Missouri before going to school in Columbia. From severe weather to stifling heat to crippling ice storms, he's seen a little bit of everything in the state. After graduating from Mizzou, he spent over 4 years as a meteorologist at KMIZ, a station in Columbia. Kevin joined WeatherNation in April of 2022, working behind the scenes for a year. Kevin loves to talk sports and enjoys the outdoors when the weather cooperates.
What inspired you to become a meteorologist?
I've always had a fascination with the weather growing up. After the EF-5 tornado struck Joplin in 2011, I knew that I wanted to learn about what causes severe weather and help avoid harm in the future.
What is your most memorable weather experience?
Personally, I'll remember the ice storm of 2007. We were out of school for weeks since many were without power. I can still hear the sound of tree limbs snapping and falling under the weight of the ice in my friend's backyard. We were lucky and only out of power for a day but some were out for weeks afterwards.
Professionally, the tornado in Jefferson City back in 2019 was my first experience going wall-to-wall, and we were on most of the evening and well into the night. The amount of teamwork to keep everyone safe that night and to rebuild in the weeks following will be hard to forget.
Outside of weather, what are your hobbies and interests?
Anything and everything sports! I'm still a homer rooting for all of the Missouri teams from afar. But if the teams aren't in town, I might be at a concert, at a new place to eat, or just playing with my dog at home.
Besides your parents, who as influenced you the most in your life?
I had a lot of teachers fueling my curiosity growing up. Mrs. Weissler got me into math with her unending enthusiasm, and Mrs. Eck made us realize how much we love doing physics experiments. There have been countless others who have had the patience to get me where I am today.
What is a little-known fact about you?
I was paralyzed for two weeks when I was a kid. It was an infection that got all the way down to my leg bones but eventually cleared up.
What are your hopes and dreams for the profession of weather?
I hope we can get to a point where we're avoiding preventable deaths. Technology is helping push the accuracy of a forecast forward, so it's up to us to get those that are in harm's way out of it.