Mike Seidel
Encyclopedia
Michael Phillip "Mike" Seidel is an American
meteorologist who has worked at The Weather Channel since March 1992. He is noted for his field reporting from breaking weather including severe weather, hurricanes
and snowstorms.
. While he was in the eighth grade in school, Seidel installed a weather station on the roof of his house. He worked for four local radio stations during his high school and college years, including WJDY-AM in Salisbury
, WDMV-AM in Pocomoke City
and WKHI-FM in Ocean City
(all three in Maryland
), as well as WSUX-FM in Seaford, Delaware
. After graduating from Wicomico Senior High School, Seidel attended Salisbury State College
and earned a Bachelor of Science
degree, majoring in mathematics
, in 1979. He also majored in geography.
Immediately after his graduation, Seidel began his television career with WMDT
-TV in Salisbury. Seidel also entered graduate school
, and he earned his Master's degree
in Meteorology
at Pennsylvania State University
. Seidel wrote his master's thesis under the direction of Gregory S. Forbes, now The Weather Channel's expert on severe weather. During his graduate studies, Seidel appeared on Weather World on the Pennsylvania Public Television Network.
Seidel's first full-time broadcasting position was at WYFF
-TV in Greenville, South Carolina
, where he worked from 1983 through 1989. He next returned to Salisbury in 1989 to work as the meteorologist for WBOC-TV
. Seidel remained there until March 1992, when he left for The Weather Channel
.
, on Labor Day
Weekend in 1996 on Cape Cod
. Since then he has covered more than fifty tropical storms and hurricanes, nor'easter
s, numerous snow and ice storms and tornado outbreaks. He has also reported live from the PGA Tour
, the Baseball All-Star Game, the World Series
, and the Indianapolis 500
automobile race. Since 2002, Seidel has been the host of the National Football League
"Kickoff Forecast" segments every Sunday morning from NFL venues.
While at The Weather Channel, Seidel has appeared on numerous network news programs, including NBC-TV's Today Show and NBC Nightly News
, CBS-TV's The Early Show
, The CBS Evening News and CBS Sunday Morning, and ABC-TV's Good Morning America
, World News Tonight
, Nightline and World News Now
. Seidel has also reported live from breaking weather on MSNBC
, the Cable News Network and Fox News Channel
. Seidel has filled in for Tony Perkins
on ABC's Good Morning America
in 2003 and for Al Roker
on NBC's The Today Show in 2009.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
meteorologist who has worked at The Weather Channel since March 1992. He is noted for his field reporting from breaking weather including severe weather, hurricanes
Tropical cyclone
A tropical cyclone is a storm system characterized by a large low-pressure center and numerous thunderstorms that produce strong winds and heavy rain. Tropical cyclones strengthen when water evaporated from the ocean is released as the saturated air rises, resulting in condensation of water vapor...
and snowstorms.
Early career
Seidel's interest in weather started at the age of six when he began measuring snowfall in his hometown of Salisbury, MarylandSalisbury, Maryland
-Demographics:Salisbury is the principal city of the Salisbury-Ocean Pines CSA, a Combined Statistical Area that includes the Salisbury metropolitan area and the Ocean Pines micropolitan area , which had a combined population of 176,657 at the 2010 census.As of the census of 2000, there were...
. While he was in the eighth grade in school, Seidel installed a weather station on the roof of his house. He worked for four local radio stations during his high school and college years, including WJDY-AM in Salisbury
Salisbury, Maryland
-Demographics:Salisbury is the principal city of the Salisbury-Ocean Pines CSA, a Combined Statistical Area that includes the Salisbury metropolitan area and the Ocean Pines micropolitan area , which had a combined population of 176,657 at the 2010 census.As of the census of 2000, there were...
, WDMV-AM in Pocomoke City
Pocomoke City, Maryland
Pocomoke City, dubbed "the friendliest town on the Eastern Shore", is a city in Worcester County, Maryland, United States. Although renamed in a burst of civic enthusiasm in 1878, the city is regularly referred to by its inhabitants simply as Pocomoke...
and WKHI-FM in Ocean City
Ocean City, Maryland
Ocean City, sometimes known as OC, or OCMD, is an Atlantic Ocean resort town in Worcester County, Maryland, United States. Ocean City is widely known in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States and is a frequent destination for vacationers in that area...
(all three in Maryland
Maryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
), as well as WSUX-FM in Seaford, Delaware
Seaford, Delaware
Seaford is a city located along the Nanticoke River in Sussex County, Delaware. According to the 2010 Census Bureau figures, the population of the city is 6,928, an increase of 3.4% from the 2000 census...
. After graduating from Wicomico Senior High School, Seidel attended Salisbury State College
Salisbury University
Salisbury University is a public university in Salisbury, Maryland.According to U.S. News and World Report's 2009 America's Best Colleges index, "In guidebooks and surveys by U.S...
and earned a Bachelor of Science
Bachelor of Science
A Bachelor of Science is an undergraduate academic degree awarded for completed courses that generally last three to five years .-Australia:In Australia, the BSc is a 3 year degree, offered from 1st year on...
degree, majoring in mathematics
Mathematics
Mathematics is the study of quantity, space, structure, and change. Mathematicians seek out patterns and formulate new conjectures. Mathematicians resolve the truth or falsity of conjectures by mathematical proofs, which are arguments sufficient to convince other mathematicians of their validity...
, in 1979. He also majored in geography.
Immediately after his graduation, Seidel began his television career with WMDT
WMDT
WMDT is the ABC-affiliated television station broadcasting on the Delmarva Peninsula that is licensed to Salisbury, Maryland. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on UHF channel 47 from a transmitter in rural Wicomico County northeast of Mardela Springs. The tower is the second tallest...
-TV in Salisbury. Seidel also entered graduate school
Graduate school
A graduate school is a school that awards advanced academic degrees with the general requirement that students must have earned a previous undergraduate degree...
, and he earned his Master's degree
Master's degree
A master's is an academic degree granted to individuals who have undergone study demonstrating a mastery or high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice...
in Meteorology
Meteorology
Meteorology is the interdisciplinary scientific study of the atmosphere. Studies in the field stretch back millennia, though significant progress in meteorology did not occur until the 18th century. The 19th century saw breakthroughs occur after observing networks developed across several countries...
at Pennsylvania State University
Pennsylvania State University
The Pennsylvania State University, commonly referred to as Penn State or PSU, is a public research university with campuses and facilities throughout the state of Pennsylvania, United States. Founded in 1855, the university has a threefold mission of teaching, research, and public service...
. Seidel wrote his master's thesis under the direction of Gregory S. Forbes, now The Weather Channel's expert on severe weather. During his graduate studies, Seidel appeared on Weather World on the Pennsylvania Public Television Network.
Seidel's first full-time broadcasting position was at WYFF
WYFF
WYFF is the NBC-affiliate television station based in Greenville, South Carolina. It serves a media market which includes Greenville/Spartanburg and Anderson in South Carolina and Asheville/Hendersonville, North Carolina. The market covers large portions of western North Carolina and upstate South...
-TV in Greenville, South Carolina
Greenville, South Carolina
-Law and government:The city of Greenville adopted the Council-Manager form of municipal government in 1976.-History:The area was part of the Cherokee Nation's protected grounds after the Treaty of 1763, which ended the French and Indian War. No White man was allowed to enter, though some families...
, where he worked from 1983 through 1989. He next returned to Salisbury in 1989 to work as the meteorologist for WBOC-TV
WBOC-TV
WBOC-TV, channel 16 , is a CBS affiliate based in Salisbury, Maryland, USA. WBOC-TV is owned by the Draper Holdings Business Trust, with its main studios in Salisbury, secondary studios/office facilities in Dover and Milton, Delaware, and transmitter in Laurel, Delaware...
. Seidel remained there until March 1992, when he left for The Weather Channel
The Weather Channel
The Weather Channel is a US cable and satellite television network since May 2, 1982, that broadcasts weather forecasts and weather-related news, along with entertainment programming related to weather 24 hours a day...
.
The Weather Channel
Seidel covered his first storm, Hurricane EdouardHurricane Edouard (1996)
Hurricane Edouard was the strongest hurricane in the 1996 Atlantic hurricane season, reaching winds of 145 mph on its path. Edouard remained a major hurricane for eight days, an unusually long amount of time. A Cape Verde-type hurricane, the storm formed near the coast of Africa in the middle...
, on Labor Day
Labor Day
Labor Day is a United States federal holiday observed on the first Monday in September that celebrates the economic and social contributions of workers.-History:...
Weekend in 1996 on Cape Cod
Cape Cod
Cape Cod, often referred to locally as simply the Cape, is a cape in the easternmost portion of the state of Massachusetts, in the Northeastern United States...
. Since then he has covered more than fifty tropical storms and hurricanes, nor'easter
Nor'easter
A nor'easter is a type of macro-scale storm along the East Coast of the United States and Atlantic Canada, so named because the storm travels to the northeast from the south and the winds come from the northeast, especially in the coastal areas of the Northeastern United States and Atlantic Canada...
s, numerous snow and ice storms and tornado outbreaks. He has also reported live from the PGA Tour
PGA Tour
The PGA Tour is the organizer of the main men's professional golf tours in the United States and North America...
, the Baseball All-Star Game, the World Series
World Series
The World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball, played between the American League and National League champions since 1903. The winner of the World Series championship is determined through a best-of-seven playoff and awarded the Commissioner's Trophy...
, and the Indianapolis 500
Indianapolis 500
The Indianapolis 500-Mile Race, also known as the Indianapolis 500, the 500 Miles at Indianapolis, the Indy 500 or The 500, is an American automobile race, held annually, typically on the last weekend in May at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana...
automobile race. Since 2002, Seidel has been the host of the National Football League
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
"Kickoff Forecast" segments every Sunday morning from NFL venues.
While at The Weather Channel, Seidel has appeared on numerous network news programs, including NBC-TV's Today Show and NBC Nightly News
NBC Nightly News
NBC Nightly News is the flagship daily evening television news program for NBC News and broadcasts. NBC Nightly News has aired from Studio 3B, located on floors 3 of the NBC Studios is the headquarters of the GE Building forms the centerpiece of 30th Rockefeller Center it is located in the center...
, CBS-TV's The Early Show
The Early Show
The Early Show is an American television morning news talk show broadcast by CBS from New York City. The program airs live from 7 to 9 a.m. Eastern Time Monday through Friday; most affiliates in the Central, Mountain, and Pacific time zones air the show on tape-delay from 7 to 9 a.m. local time. ...
, The CBS Evening News and CBS Sunday Morning, and ABC-TV's Good Morning America
Good Morning America
Good Morning America is an American morning news and talk show that is broadcast on the ABC television network; it debuted on November 3, 1975. The weekday program airs for two hours; a third hour aired between 2007 and 2008 exclusively on ABC News Now...
, World News Tonight
World News with Charles Gibson
ABC World News is the flagship daily evening program of ABC News, the news division of the American Broadcasting Company television network in the United States. Currently, the weekday editions are anchored by Diane Sawyer and the weekend editions are anchored by David Muir. The program has been...
, Nightline and World News Now
World News Now
World News Now is an American overnight news program broadcast on American Broadcasting Company's television network. Its tone is often lighthearted, irreverent and humorous...
. Seidel has also reported live from breaking weather on MSNBC
MSNBC
MSNBC is a cable news channel based in the United States available in the US, Germany , South Africa, the Middle East and Canada...
, the Cable News Network and Fox News Channel
Fox News Channel
Fox News Channel , often called Fox News, is a cable and satellite television news channel owned by the Fox Entertainment Group, a subsidiary of News Corporation...
. Seidel has filled in for Tony Perkins
Tony Perkins (television meteorologist)
Tony Perkins is an American weather broadcaster best known for his work on ABC's Good Morning America from 1999 to 2005. He currently is the weekday morning weatherman for WTTG in Washington, DC....
on ABC's Good Morning America
Good Morning America
Good Morning America is an American morning news and talk show that is broadcast on the ABC television network; it debuted on November 3, 1975. The weekday program airs for two hours; a third hour aired between 2007 and 2008 exclusively on ABC News Now...
in 2003 and for Al Roker
Al Roker
Albert Lincoln "Al" Roker, Jr. is an American television meteorologist as well as an actor and book author. He is best known as being the weather anchor on NBC's Today. On Monday, July 20, 2009, he began co-hosting his new morning show, Wake Up with Al, on The Weather Channel, which airs weekdays...
on NBC's The Today Show in 2009.
Personal life
Seidel has been married to the former Christine Schroder since 1994. They have two children, Sam and Zoe.External links
- YouTube Video Example NFL Kickoff Forecast Video Clip