Often times when I write one of these updates on a day with a Slight Risk, I’m breaking down atmospheric parameters, looking at Skew-Ts, or comparing model trends.
But today, I have something less analytical and more personal to breakdown.
I’m leaving WDAM. This April will be my last month on air.
You know, it was seven years ago – on May 16, 2014 – when I came to south Mississippi for the first time. I was just happy to see green. And experience rain. After three years in Amarillo, Texas, I was starved for humidity and trees. Both of which came in a near endless supply in south Mississippi. I recall my first weekend living here. It was early June and I went for a walk in the middle of the day. It was about 90 degrees, felt like 105.
It was great. I got home and looked like I’d jumped into a swimming pool.
I didn’t know much about the state. I knew how to spell it. Learned that on the bus, riding to school in first grade. I still remember that like it was yesterday. I can still smell the vinyl bus seats and remember the kid in front of me turning around, “Bet you can’t spell Mississippi!”
He caught me. I couldn’t.
“M-I-S-S-I-S-S-I-P-P-I,” he hollered. “You can always remember it because it has ‘P-P’ in it”
Good mnemonic device. I never forgot.
I didn’t know much about the people here. Southern Hospitality was just a phrase I’d heard growing up. It is what we would say to people who were being too nice. Down here, I learned that it is a way of life. And man, what a way to live!
I’ve made many great memories here. Met some wonderful people. I even met Brett Favre! As a life-long Packer fan, I didn’t think that could be topped.
But one person I met, in particular, is the best part about my time in Mississippi. She doesn’t like being the center of attention. But she always has mine.
It has been a great ride. But it is time to move on. And time to step away from TV.
I won’t be going far. I will still be updating this site with plenty of cool science, detailed weather forecasts and the occasional life updates.
I always felt a little odd on TV, anyway.
I recognize I’m not your typical ‘weather guy’ on TV. That is probably why I ruffled so many feathers. I can’t just show a temperature with a sunshine icon and smile. I am fully aware that I embody the “ask me what time it is and I tell you how to build a watch” phrase. I try to fight that, but some days are worse than others.
But just know, there was a purpose. There was a reason. It wasn’t just to waste time.
You guys matter to me.
This area is one of the most beat up places in the world by Mother Nature. And these events don’t just happen at random. There is always an explanation. And you guys deserved to know.
And not just so you had an explanation. Knowing is fun, sure. But, a lot like science, knowing is great but predicting is better. I wanted to help everyone start to recognize the patterns. That way, everyone could prepare for the next time. And the next time. And the time after that.
After seven years, I think a lot of you probably know more about weather than you ever thought you would. Or wanted to.
Hopefully, you look at that as a good thing. If you do, I’m happy.
So, I want to say thank you.
I want to say thank you to everyone who trusted me to offer an accurate weather forecast. Thank you to those who turned to me when severe weather moved through. Thank you to the people who embraced my, unique, delivery of forecast information.
You guys are the best. And while I’ll miss giving you the forecast on TV… I’ll make up for it here on the blog by continuing to fill you full of Science every chance I get.
you will be missed greatly…..Love all of the weather meteorologist there..
Nick is one of the best WDAM has ever had. I will miss his hard work, and dedication. Godspeed, God bless, and don’t be a stranger to us, here. We love ya, Nick!
You all done a great job on keeping us updated on the weather and for that I want to say thank you .
Nick it has been a pleasure having you care so much about we Mississippians. You and Patrick have been awesome and have saved many lives in South Mississippi. Thank you
Thank you for you insight. Ms weather was confusion to me hsving spent half my life in Oregon. I wad in a constant syate of fear. You helped me relax. Thank you.
I’ve always enjoyed your forecasts and appreciate the level of genuine compassion you employed. Best of luck in your newest endeavors but you will be missed!
Congratulations on your new endeavors. I love your humor and your passion for science.
I always felt you gave us information that helped take away some of the fear during weather events. Thank you for giving us all the information we needed to stay safe. Your presence will be missed.
Nick you will be greatly missed on TV in my opinion! You were a much needed and welcome change in the pinebelt for many of us!! Best of luck to you in your future endeavors!!
Thank you Nick! You’ve made us feel safe when the weather was giving us goosebumps. You will be missed. The best to you in the next chapter of your life. As the saying goes”The book is not finished, just a new chapter”!
We are all so very sad to see you go! I am a lifelong area resident and have been an amateur weather nerd since I rode out a tornado-warned storm in a car as a child near Petal in the 1990s. Shortly after, I had the opportunity to meet WDAM meteorologist Dean Wade through a school project, and later, Steve Taylor who graciously would respond to my emails asking for weather photography advice. I have enjoyed your broadcasts immensely to say the least. From the science, the humor and pop culture references, to the funny conversations between you and Karrie, and the Nick Knows photo contests – the privilege has been all ours. Your educational approach was so refreshing and only confirmed your deep care for the safety of our communities. I too enjoy opportunities I have to share things from my field of expertise for the benefit of others. And to add to all that, you made our weather broadcasts, well, fun! For those who have complained, I have to believe that they will not know what they had until it’s gone. Sincere best wishes to you and your future endeavors sir! I hope you will consider continuing some sort of “broadcast” on social media perhaps? Thanks again for everything!
I’m an old science teacher who loved teaching weather units, so I always enjoyed your teaching times – you will be greatly missed. Blessings on the next leg of your journey, Nick!
Thank you so much fir all you have done in our town. You have been a blessing to Hattiesburg and us. May God bless you in your future adventures.
I have thought you THE BEST and I will miss you. Wish I could have met you personally, but so thankful for your time as “my weather man”
We haven’t lived in MS for the last 6 years, but we’ve continued to follow you and your wealth of information. We’ve been fans since you moved to MS, and I know the people in/around Hattiesburg will miss you so much! Good luck on your next adventure!
I’m sorry to see you go but understand opportunity calls. Good luck in your new endeavor and whoever gets you is lucky to have you.
You are the reason I watch WDAM Weather…and I knew we couldn’t keep you here forever. I’m truly sad that you are leaving.
Nick, best of luck in your future endeavor. We will miss you on the air.You were a breath of fresh air.You made weather interesting.
Aww so sorry to see you leave us,you will surely be missed ! You have always helped us feel safer during the storms ! Good luck and God bless you in all your endeavors!!
My husband and I were born and raised on the central coast of CA and moved to HBurg in 2017 for him to attend USM and get his PhD in Polymer Science. The first time I googled Hattiesburg, a photo of the 2014 tornado was the first thing I saw and I promptly watched the storm chaser YouTube footage of the tornado that passed just a hair south of our rental house off 98. “What even IS a tornado?”, I thought to myself. I had never even heard of weather anxiety until you said those words. “That’s what I have!” I said to my husband during our first tornado warning just a month after moving here. I had never experienced that kind of panic. The unknown was impossible to accept. Over the last 4 years, you’ve helped me immensely with calming my weather anxiety. I realized that the more I learn about the weather, the less scared I am of it. You did that with all of the info you shared with us during such terrifying moments. I still get a little worked up when I see a severe weather day approaching but knowing I get to geek out with you and Patrick and learn and prepare, keeps my mind much more at ease. My husband and I always said we don’t deserve a weather man like you. Living in CA, the scariest weather we had was the occasional fire danger (at least back 4 years ago, it’s gotten worse lately). Our local weather people on TV didn’t teach us anything. I wish I had experienced this weather sooner in my life because I found a passion for weather that I never knew I had. In another life, I’d be a meteorologist. Thank you for all you’ve done for the Pinebelt. I can’t imagine how much time you’ve given to these blog posts, FB Lives, Twitter, tv… I’m not sure what we’re going to do without you. I’ll be following along with your blog wherever you end up.
So sorry to see you go. You give such complete explanations. I have to say there are others there that I just cannot understand. Please keep the posts coming. Good luck on your new endeavor.
You will be missed. I have learned a lot from you. You always kept us informed and it made me feel safer. Good luck on your next endeavors. I must say, I’m sad to see you leave. God bless you
I am so sad to read of your leaving WDAM! You are the best weather man ever and always went above and beyond to keep us informed as well as educated about weather events. You made even typical weather forecasts interesting. You will be sooo missed! Best wishes on your new endeavors wherever they may lead. Our loss is certainly their gain.
Good luck Nick! You will certainly be missed. You were a breath of fresh air here. We kept waiting for this time because we knew we couldn’t keep you because you’re so talented. God bless you in whatever the future holds for you!
My boyfriend and I moved to Columbia almost 6 years ago. WDAM was the first news/weather station we watched. You are the reason we continued for all the weather knowledge you gave us. You will be missed. Good luck on your next journey, wherever that may take you!
You are the best WDAM has had! It’s not that I don’t like the others, but I love your extra science tidbits and your dedication. Thank you for caring about us and for the information you tried to teach us. I hope I can retain it. You will definitely be missed. As much as I hate to see you go, I wish you the best for your future. Stay safe and God Bless!
Oh no Nick, I am so sorry that you are leaving us. You are one of the very few that I knew we could always count on to keep us updated. Thank you so much for all you have done for the people in the Pinebelt. God bless you in your new endeavors.
My heart is broken. Never do I remember such a thorough and genuine meteorologist for our area. Your concern for us has been so appreciated. We so wish you the very best in whatever you pursue, but know you will be truly missed!
I know I will not be the only one, but dang it!, I will miss your forecasting Nick! You have been the absolute best meteorologist I have ever seen on a local station! Good luck to you in your travels and career!
You have trained us about the weather and why it is. You have gone slow enough for us to understand and completed our understanding on your site. Certainly going to miss your low keyed personality and obsession with getting us the best weather news.
So very sorry that you are leaving! I appreciate all of your weather knowledge and input. I hope that your next endeavor is what you hope for it to be. Thank you for keeping us informed and safe!
So very sorry to learn you are leaving WDAM. You will definitely be missed. Wish you the best wherever you go.
I appreciate knowing “why” the weather is doing whatever it’s doing. I appreciate having access to a full explanation of the weather. Thank you for all that you do. Thank you for caring.
Sure hate you are leaving us. I enjoyed your forecasts. You explained so much about the weather. Best Wishes in your new job.
I was afraid this day would come sooner rather than later. Nick, you have been a jewel to our area and our state. You have selflessly shared your knowledge and we are all better and more educated because of you. THANK YOU!!! My hope for you is that you flourish in your next position and that the people who surround you realize that they are in the presence of a great man. Bravo sir! You will be missed!
I sure do hate to hear this but totally understand. Good luck
HATE to see you leave! I wish you the BEST in whatever you move on to. We will ALL miss you, and, your weather knowledge you conveyed on WDAM. We’ll also miss your jokes!!
This news didn’t just ruin my day, it ruined my week. As a fellow weather nerd, I know exactly why you wanted to come to this area of the country and bring your wealth of knowledge where you could save as many lives as possible. I’ve enjoyed your analysis more than anybody we’ve had at WDAM. Trust me, I’ve watched hours and hours of it. You don’t realize this, but my kids (both under 5 yrs) can now point out a area of rotation on a velocity product because of watching your coverage. I wish you luck with whatever you decide to do in the future.
I am a guy lucky enough to know Nick on a personal level. Both when I lived in S MS – and my final semester of meteorology school I interned at WDAM and he oversaw my internship (Patrick and Rex were awesome too). However over the years since I left there I continue to read Nick’s extensively sound blog posts, FB posts, and twitter comments to links. Nick is one of the most brilliant meteorologists I know. He’s a fundamentally “cool dude”…LOVES some sports…and is an all around decent man off-air (which isn’t the case for many on-air personalities). Nick has the skills and pedigree to work in any market in the country. He has the education and experience to work at any of the prestigious government weather agencies he would want to work for. I know he won’t be leaving weather but “the camera” aspect it seems. In his 7 years he has seen, done, educated, trained, helped, and even taught academically at USM. THANK YOU NICK FOR ALL YOUR DEDICATION. I remain intrigued and anxious to see what your future holds both personally and professionally!
It’s about time WDAM woke up and fired you!!! You really are telling the truth about not being cut out for doing weather on TV. You were more worried about what others are doing with their forecast and not focused on your own forecast. Making fun of Jason Scott when he was right most of the time. It way past the time for you to leave Mississippi sure. I sure hope WDAM gets someone more professional to report the weather here in our State.
Nick, you and your team have been so appreciated and depended upon when we wanted accurate forecasting. I am so sorry you’re leaving but it sounds like you have exciting times ahead too! You have made many friends here and there are many new “weather geeks” (me being one!) than there were before. God bless and take care of yourself, I still use your awesome WDAM weather umbrella I won!
Good for you! Go get them Nick! Best of everything for your future and the Miss