Click here to read Craig's blog, "Weather Or Not"
Craig Koplien was born and raised in
Pewaukee, Wisconsin and considers working for TODAY'S TMJ4 to be a dream come true. "For as long as I can remember, I wanted to be a meteorologist at TODAY'S TMJ4." He achieved the dream when he was hired by TMJ4 in 2000. You can see him first thing in the morning from 5am to 7am on "Live at Daybreak". You can also hear Craig on the radio on Newsradio 620 WTMJ and 94-5 WKTI.
Craig received his Bachelor of Science degree in Meteorology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1989. He has been awarded the prestigious status of "Certified Broadcast Meteorologist" by the American Meteorological Society, the nation's premier professional organization for those in the atmospheric and related sciences.
Craig's first job was at
Madison, Wisconsin television station WKOW-TV. In addition to his television work there, he also broadcast the weather on over 30 radio stations and provided forecasts for newspapers across the nation. Craig was also a consultant for the Milwaukee Brewers when rain threatened games at old Milwaukee County Stadium.
Craig temporarily left his home state of Wisconsin in 1995 to become the Chief Meteorologist at KMTV-TV in
Omaha, Nebraska . "It hurt to leave
Wisconsin , but I got a fantastic opportunity to lead the weather department in a city with fascinating weather. I enjoyed every minute I spent in
Omaha , but always hoped I'd have to chance to come home some day."
After 4 years in Omaha, Craig came home to
Wisconsin and TMJ4.
Craig's interest in Meteorology began at a young age. He remembers becoming fascinated with weather while learning about it in 5th grade science class at
Pewaukee
Elementary School. "One day our teacher showed us a movie about tornadoes. I've been hooked on weather ever since!" As a youngster, Craig rarely missed watching a weathercast on TMJ4 and credits legendary meteorologist
Paul Joseph for inspiring him in his quest to become a broadcast meteorologist. "I never really considered doing anything else."
When not watching the weather, Craig can usually be found either at a game or watching one on TV. He is a huge
Wisconsin sports fan, and passionately follows the Packers, Brewers, Badgers and Bucks.
While weather and sports rank high on Craig's list of priorities, nothing ranks higher than the 4 women in his life: his wife and 3 daughters. "No matter what the weather is like outside, it's always 'sunny and pleasant' at my house thanks to my wife and girls!"
Article: Pewaukee's Koplien lives childhood dream - Lake Country Reporter
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