BILLINGS — They say if you don’t like the weather in Montana, just wait five minutes and it'll change. Well, that constantly changing weather has always been part of the fun for MTN's newest meteorologist Keith Meier, who’s starting a new career after 30 years at the National Weather Service.
"The thing I like about Montana weather is that you get the influence of all four seasons. You get the influence of the mountains and terrain and how that changes the weather. We all know living here that you can go from one drainage in some mountain range to the next drainage and the weathers different. Or the west side of the slope from the east side and it's different," said Meier on Friday.
When it comes to weather in Billings, Meier has seen it all. As the meteorologist in charge at the National Weather Service, he was the man that most in the public never saw. As he was tasked with making sure things were running smoothly.
"The staff here has always thought we can do something different, even if it might stretch us a little bit. Maybe we don’t have all the tools we want to have but we can demonstrate with what we’ve got and maybe the weather service will corporately get behind us and put the resources in place," Meier added.
From technology, to the latest in forecasting, Keith always made sure the weather service was on the front lines of the industry. And his impact over the last three decades was even hard to quantify for his former colleagues as they reflected on what he meant to the national weather service.
"He was able to bring on board the new technology at a new weather service office and basically build it from the ground up. From our software systems that we use out in operations to the radar installation here in Billings," said John Wetenkamp, science and operations officer at the Billings National Weather Service on Friday.
And always with the mindset of how he can better help the community.
"It's not just change for the sake of change. There needs to be a reason for it in supporting our mission of protecting lives and property. And that’s always at the forefront of his thoughts and his reasoning for implementing, or not implementing certain products, or certain changes across the weather service," said Cory Mottice, warning coordination meteorologist at the Billings National Weather Service on Friday.
But Keith is now embarking on a new career at MTN. And he says he's excited to bring what he knows into a new chapter of his life. While hopefully improving the way MTN forecasts the weather and shares it with viewers.
"The thing I’m looking forward to is the communicative piece of being able to educate and teach. Just being able to take that down to the average person that’s just trying to figure out whether they’re going to be able to do work outside, what they’re going to wear tomorrow, or if they’re going to take that trip or have to wait a couple days," added Meier.
And as he reflected back on his career, he was just grateful that he’s had a chance to make an impact in people’s lives in some way.
"The thing I look back at is just the people part of it. I look back at all the people that I’ve worked with in my career and some fantastic experiences, and I feel like I’ve had a little bit of a fingerprint on their trajectory in their careers," Meier said.
