From Lake-Effect Snow to Severe Weather
Derek knew from a very young age that meteorology was going to be his career. Growing up on the shores of Lake Ontario in Upstate New York, he developed an early fascination with Lake-Effect snow. Watching bands of heavy snow organize and move across the water would shape how he would think about weather for the rest of his life.
Later, living in Arkansas—a place where ice storms, hurricane remnants, and severe weather were the norm—that fascination only intensified. The extreme weather Derek witnessed in the Mid-South didn’t scare him. It captivated and intrigued him. He wanted to understand it, and more than that, he wanted to help other people understand it too.
Finding the Right Kind of Science
Derek’s professional career started at the University of Oklahoma, where he earned a B.S. in Meteorology, and acquired the tools to research, interpret and forecast various weather phenomena. He also discovered a passion for helping the general public to understand and prepare for weather extremes. This passion further inspired him to pursue training in Broadcast Meteorology through an M.S. in Geosciences at Mississippi State University, where he learned to present the science in a manner both intelligible and useful to the average person gazing up at the sky from their driveway.
Why MWN
The Maryland Weather Network is a 24/7 digital weather operation, built from the ground up to give Marylanders comprehensive access to local weather information with depth, continuity, and dependability. No three-minute hits. No weather theater. Just real meteorology, delivered by someone who has spent his entire career doing this work.
