John Walsh

A Hastings College graduate, John began his forecasting career at KHAS-TV in his hometown of Hastings in 1990. He took over the weather department in 1997 before moving to the Omaha market in 2012 where he forecasted for KMTV. In 2017, he joined Gray Television and began forecasting weather for 10/11 News viewers. John was promoted to Chief Meteorologist for NBC Nebraska in early 2020. In November of 2021, he returned to where it all started - forecasting weather for Central Nebraska viewers at KSNB Local4.

"The nuances of weather in the Plains is fascinating and a constant learning experience. There may be places that are colder, hotter, wetter or dryer, but 'there IS no place like Nebraska' in how all the elements come together creating some of the most diverse weather on the planet.

"When I was a kid, I use to make fun of my dad for opening every conversation with something about the weather, rolling my eyes at his lack of originality. The irony is, here I am making a living, talking about the weather...though my perspective has changed radically. Weather is the common denominator affecting life and livelihood for all of us. There IS much to talk about...so dad's been vindicated."

John says anticipating and responding to the public's day to day need for weather information, especially when storms turn severe are the most satisfying aspects of the job.

"I remember a thank you note sent to me from a local farm family. They were watching our team's storm coverage and were able to get grandma to safety before a storms destroyed her trailer home. That's what it's about."

Apart from watching the weather, John enjoys being in it, with outdoor interests as well as the arts. He enjoys “attempting” to play guitar. A lover of motorsports, the ‘racer want-to-be’ is learning race craft, with the ultimate goal of driving shifter karts. He enjoys playing on a senior-league national traveling softball team, skiing, backpacking and climbing.

It was at the conclusion of a hike up a prominent 14,000-foot peak in Colorado that he proposed to his wife, Susan, leaving here utterly breathless "Thin air will do that to you.... had nothing to do with me."

John and Susan enjoy traveling, wine and their two dogs, not necessarily in that order.