I first met Alyssa met at Biergarten in Schenectady of all places. I walked over to a table where this adorable golden doodle puppy was and asked if I could pet him. After that, I started following Alyssa’s dog Ollie’s instagram and became friends. I sat down with her in the CBS6 Studio in Niskayuna to talk to her about her love of weather and her career so far as a meteorologist.
Q: Where did you go to school and how did you get into meteorology?
Alyssa went to Rutgers University for meteorology- not broadcasting. This way, if she decided not to work in TV she would have more options available.
Q: What other options are there for a meteorologist besides TV?
“You could work for the national weather service, in the private sector for businesses that rely on weather, airports have meteorologists on staff. There’s a bunch of things you don’t realize that meteorologists can do. There’s forensic meteorologists, (you have to get a certification for this) and you can essentially testify in court.” Alyssa explains that for example, someone slips and falls on somewhere and that person sues. A forensic meteorologist can testify in court that in face it did snow that day and how much snow. There’s a bunch of things that the average person doesn’t realize.
Q: How did you decide to pursue meteorology?
As is the case with many meteorologists, Alyssa says it was something she’s wanted to do since she was a kid. For whatever reason, she was fascinated with weather since she was a child. “It can either be some big weather that you will always remember that sparked your interest in meteorology. For me, it wasn’t anything in particular, I just always loved the weather.” She watched the weather channel all the time and knew the names and titles of everyone who worked there. “I knew everyone there. The severe weather specialist, the winter specialist… I just always love the weather.” Alyssa did many school science projects on the weather. She loves the weather, but was afraid of wind and thunderstorms.
Q: How did you get into TV broadcasting in meteorology?
“I think a lot of people think they need a masters to be on TV and you don’t. I just have my undergrad. My major was all science and math. People realize the typical meteorology degree requires 4 years of calculus. It’s actually the number one reason why people drop out of the major because the pre-reqs to get into your core meteorology classes is intense.”
Alyssa explains that her degree requires all the math because the very complicated computer models that meteorologists look at are derived from these differential equations. That’s where the math comes into play.
Besides watching the weather channel, Alyssa watched the Today Show with Al Rocker and other NYC news stations since she grew up in New Jersey. On campus, she did the weather program at school once a week and that was her only time to be in front of the green wall. “Since I knew I wanted to do TV, it was really important for me to do internships in television because that was the only way I could learn about the industry being a meteorology major.”
Alyssa did two television internships one for WABC in NYC and one with News12 NJ, along with 2 other summer internships. That is where she learned how news works and all the language associated with it. She distinctly remembers her first job in news, her executive producer was explaining the rundown, telling Alyssa there was a VOSOT before they throw the camera to her, and Alyssa didn’t know what that was. (It stands for Voiceover followed by Sound on Tape). “It’s a whole different lingo working in news. You pick it up over time, but if you didn’t study broadcasting you have no idea what any of that is. So really, I think you learn the most at your first job.”
Q: What happened after your graduation from Rutgers?
Alyssa was anxious to get out and start her career so she applied to a handful of small market (aka small town) news stations. To work your way up in this industry is to move around to a new and bigger station in a new and bigger city. Alyssa took her first job in Medford, Oregon. “If I could do it again I would not have gone that far. Not in a million years. There are so many small markets in the northeast, that there would have been so many options, but I didn’t know what I was doing.” It was very small town and just not the right fit for Alyssa who is more of fast paced a city girl. Alyssa made the best of her time there by coaching cheer leading and making friends, but eventually made her way back to the northeast closer to family.
After leaving Oregon, Alyssa started at CBS 6 Albany as the weekend meteorologist. Now she is the week-day morning meteorologist.
“The same thing happened at my first job too. You just gotta get your foot in the door, and things worked out at my last station, and this station. I was very fortunate.”
Q: What is your schedule like as the morning week-day meteorologist?
“TV is an interesting industry. There are so many things people don’t realize. You need to have thick skin. People are always criticizing. You have to be willing to work holidays and weird hours.” But, she notes, there are a lot of fields that also work odd hours like people who work at a hospital. It’s also a tough industry to have a family because when you are starting our, you are moving around a lot. That makes it hard to date.
Alyssa typically works 2AM-10AM everyday. “I’m not the person who rolls right our of bed and goes to work. I need a little bit of time to chill. I shower, I hang out with Ollie, eat breakfast and watch TV.” She wakes up about 12/12:30. When Alyssa first started, she would go to bed at 3 or 4 in the afternoon to get a “full night’s sleep” but over time she has since adapted to a napping schedule. Now, she naps after work for a few hours, gets up to spend time with Ollie or her friends and and then goes back to bed around 6ish.
Q: Walk us through how to build a forecast.
“I make the forecast when I come in to work. I look at computer models that show a graphical look at temperatures, precipitation, pressure and give a forecast from 3-10 days. All the models slightly differ, so I compare the models to put my forecast together.”
The models gather their information from data collected from National Weather Service balloons. Balloons go up twice per day to gather data like temperature, wind speed and dew points. When the balloons pop, the box returns to the ground with a message asking the finder to mail the box to the National Weather Service office. The data collected is then put into differential equations based on the model, and that’s how a forecast is created. Sometimes the models do not agree- like predicting the track of a storm. However, as the storm develops the data is updated and typically the models will align.
What is a common question that people ask you?
Since people are becoming more familiar with how live television works, the comments and questions Alyssa gets now are about her clothes. Questions like “Where did you get your outfit?” And comments like, “You are the best dressed!”
People are also thrown off about how small Alyssa is- TV shots are framed so you can’t really tell. Alyssa is 5’1”.
A common misconception about meteorologists is that they don’t just come in and read off a teleprompter. They look over the maps and ad-lib. Since Alyssa developers the forecast and arranges the graphics all herself, she knows what she needs to say on camera.
What is the team like?
There are 4 meteorologists. We are always filling in if someone is sick or on vacation. Unfortunately, I can’t call in for the morning show. I’m waking up at midnight for work, no one is available to come in and cover last minute.
Have you received any negative comments?
Yes, a woman called the newsroom to ask why a woman was reporting the weather and not a man. STEM is dominantly male, and fortunately, more women are pursuing these careers and it’s starting to even out.
Where do you see yourself in the next 5-10 years?
“I think this current position is a stepping stone. I feel like if I don’t try to take this next and final step to get to a bigger city, I would not be content. I love the northeast and will always stay here, but looking to grow in a bigger city.”
What do you do for lunch?
Alyssa always has cereal for breakfast and snacks during her shift. She doesn’t get a lunch break.
How your body digests can affect the way you talk. One of Alyssa’s co-anchors doesn’t eat during the show because of the extra saliva in her mouth that makes it hard to speak. Alyssa burps- and has learned how to keep it in so it doesn’t come through on her mic!
How can someone get in touch with you on social media?
