OSBORNE, Kan. (AP) - It took a devastating turn of events for Osborne native Kaelan Cameron to find his passion for predicting weather.
In May 2007, while Cameron was around the age of 8, an EF5 tornado struck the small Kansas town of Greensburg, the Salina Journal (https://bit.ly/2ruHmFB ) reported.
The tornado wiped out about 95 percent of the city, demolishing two schools, the city hall and a tractor supply company and killing more than 10 people.
“When I saw what the tornado had done to that city, how powerful it was and the force it used, it was all so fascinating to me. I wanted to find out more about how it happened, ” he said. “From then on, I began watching the Weather Channel for entertainment.”
In a less destructive manner, Cameron’s love for weather was enhanced while a fourth-grader in Jeannie Gregory’s class at Osborne Elementary School.
“My teacher would always give me these packets full of weather information. One time, one of the packets had information on being a weather spotter for your local National Weather Service,” he said.
Cameron said he decided to contact the Hastings, Neb., National Weather Service.
“I think I was about 10 years old then, and they were excited somebody so young wanted to be a weather spotter,” he said.
Cameron said he went through an hourlong presentation on what to look for when spotting weather, what the National Weather Service wanted in weather reports and became a trained weather spotter for the Hastings National Weather Service.
Today, at age 17 and as a rising senior at Osborne High School, Cameron does the weather forecast for newspapers in Beloit, Downs, Osborne, Phillipsburg and Plainville, does daily precipitation reports for the Community Collaborative Rain, Hail & Snow (CoCoRaHS) Network, and continues his duties as a trained weather spotter.
When predicting the weather, Cameron uses what’s called weather models.
“They show areas of high pressure, low pressure and give current and future conditions in a certain area,” he said. “They help you determine the temperature, where certain storms will be and how strong those storms will be.”
Stephanie Baxa, editor of the Osborne County Farmer, said Cameron does the weather every week for the publication, submitting the past week’s forecast and the forecast for the upcoming week.
“He does such an excellent job and is an all-around good kid. If you ask him to do something, he will do it with no complaints,” she said.
Baxa said the Osborne County Farmer goes to press Monday afternoons and “his stuff is always here first thing in the morning. He’s passionate about what he does.”
Cameron also does the weather forecast for the Osborne County Farmer’s sister papers, the Downs News & Times and the Phillips County Review, Baxa said.
Cameron’s favorite type of weather to cover, he said, are thunderstorms because of “the high adrenaline situations.”
Additionally, Cameron manages his own Facebook page, Petrichor Weather. Cameron uses the page to update viewers on potentially dangerous and severe weather conditions in the area.
“He’s always on top of things. He gives minute-by-minute information anytime something is going on,” Baxa said.
Cameron said he hasn’t done much storm chasing but hopes to start doing so in the future.
With dreams of becoming a professional meteorologist, Cameron said he plans to enroll at the University of Kansas and major in meteorology upon completing high school.
“If people know I’m reliable enough to come to me as a high schooler, it gives me confidence that I am in the right field of study for my career,” he said.
When it comes to living in a specific area to cover weather, Cameron said he’d prefer “smaller towns like Osborne or areas that are in tornado alley.”
“Living in Kansas, you get a chance to experience a bit of everything as far as weather goes,” he said. “I’d love to cover weather like that.”
Cameron said he hopes to have the same level of seriousness and professionalism as his favorite meteorologist, Jim Cantore, of the Weather Channel.
“Weather plays such a pivotal and key role in our daily lives. It dictates what we do everyday,” he said. “The thing about weather is that it can be really stunning and beautiful or it can be devastating and destructive. I love that and I want to continue to dedicate my life to reporting it.”
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Information from: The Salina (Kan.) Journal, https://www.salina.com
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