Anyone familiar with Colorado has likely heard the phrase, “Don’t like the weather? Wait 10 minutes, it’ll change!” As with any cliché, there is some truth there. One person seeking to change the relationship between forecasters and the public is independent meteorologist Kody Wilson. He has been providing unbiased, educational, and even entertaining forecasts via Facebook and his website for several years, and his popularity is rapidly growing.
Predicting weather along the Front Range can be difficult, and often the major forecasts are off or behind the curve. Meteorologists in general may not be trusted, and frustration can grow when inaccurate forecasts occur.
Since Wilson started in 2017, he has gained over 103,000 followers on Facebook (while maintaining a steady 5 stars in his reviews), has over 40 business sponsors, and is expanding into regular AM radio forecasts and even his own podcast.
Meet Kody Wilson
Wilson says he holds a long-term fascination with weather, and he decided to become a meteorologist after seeing the movie “Twister” as a child. As an adult, Wilson went through some hard times and decided one day he had had enough, and “made the decision to take responsibility for my life experience … I decided through divine inspiration, and the support of my brother and my friends, that I needed to create my own opportunity.”
Having earned a degree in meteorology from the University of Northern Colorado in 2012, he chose to fully pursue that passion. After years of investment in personal and professional development, Wilson took his criticism of weather forecasters onto social media. However, he realized he was still not solving the problem, and decided to do something about it by founding his first public forecasting page.
Treasure Valley Weather Headquarters was created in early 2017, based around the Treasure Valley area of eastern Oregon and southwest Idaho where Wilson grew up. The page grew from just a handful of friends and family to 50,000 followers.
As this page swelled in popularity, Wilson was encouraged to start a similar page for Denver and the Front Range, where he had lived since 2008. He founded Denver & Front Range Weather on Facebook in spring 2017, but per Wilson, it got off to a slow start.
“My opportunity with Boise came during one of the worst winters they had seen in 40 years. I just needed to be patient enough with Denver and continue to be consistent until the opportunity came.” That opportunity knocked in March 2019, as the “Bomb Cyclone” rolled through Colorado. Wilson’s page went viral after two years of slower growth, and it has continued to grow steadily.
What Makes These Forecasts Different?
One of the main differences between Wilson’s forecasts and those seen on the TV or in weather apps is that he offers what he terms “Transparency Projects.” Wilson found some of his biggest complaints with traditional forecasting is how predictions are presented to the public, especially during potentially serious weather events.
Since Wilson prides himself on his ability to effectively communicate with people, he decided to focus on this area. “If I wanted to build trust and credibility with the public through my work, I needed to break the apathy society has for meteorology through education and transparency. Making sure people are prepared instead of being surprised because they didn’t know what was coming or what was going to happen. By outlining scenarios, you eliminate one of the biggest factors behind forecast verification failure in Colorado, which is not accounting for the unknown or ‘other possibilities.’”
He has since received positive feedback on these projects, with people appreciating how many factors go into such complex forecasts. Per Wilson, apps and television forecasters often fail to explain these factors – and he believes that education breaks apathy, as does humility when forecasts are incorrect.
When asked about the most difficult part of forecasting in Colorado, Wilson said that the three main climatic regions all have different topographical features that can drastically impact weather patterns. These regions are the eastern plains, the Colorado piedmont, and the Rocky Mountains/Colorado Plateau to the west. The microclimates of these regions can have different major impacts as weather systems move through the state and can make accurate forecasting very difficult.
Wilson has also been putting skills from a prior job to use more than he ever wished to. He previously worked as a volunteer firefighter and often uses a combination of that experience and his weather knowledge to make fire weather predictions and to quickly communicate evacuation preparedness recommendations to affected communities.
“I was prepared for it to happen but didn’t expect the quick escalation to what it has become today. Climate change and La Nina have been terrible to our state, and we’ve experienced the consequences of that when it comes to drought,” Wilson says. “Wearing the forecasting cap and firefighter cap at the same time is stressful but rewarding at the same time.”
The Entertainment Factor
Wilson puts in a lot of work to his page, providing frequent updates and transparency project updates when applicable. However, what often draws people in (or keeps them), is his sense of humor and entertaining videos and posts. Sometimes snarky, sometimes bad puns and dad jokes, sometimes just plain goofy, his page is a good place to go for both education and a laugh.
He takes no prisoners in the comments section, and woe be unto those who ask him if they should change their travel plans. (He emphatically and repeatedly tells people he is not a travel agent.).
Wilson and his followers have even developed their own slang, with perhaps the most popular being “kablamo,” which refers to any powerful storm system, whether rain or snow or wind. This is probably closely followed by “snur,” for snow. Residents of El Paso County are often jokingly referred to as the “FOMO (fear of missing out) group” due to the requests in the comments for precipitation – any precipitation – this year.
Wilson says that it all started with kablamo, and now there are so many slang words that it is hard to keep track. They are even appearing on shirts and other merchandise in his new online store. This is a good thing, though, as Wilson prefers “to handle stress, tragedy, and bad news with humor.”
Future Forecast
Wilson’s following has been expanding steadily for some time now. “The growth is exciting and inevitable.” However, he does not have any set goals for the future, both to avoid pigeon-holing himself and simply to avoid setting himself up for disappointment. So far, he has taken opportunities as they come, “And it’s worked very well for me so far!”
Nevertheless, Wilson has recently purchased a vehicle and is retrofitting it with everything he needs to document storms, stream his chases live, and collect data for research. He plans to chase all types of severe weather year-round. He has been storm chasing professionally for 15 years, but now is planning on further incorporating his experience and expertise into his page and website.
One of the best ways to ensure that Wilson can continue his forecasting is by providing financial support. You can visit his shop, make contributions via PayPal (PayPal.me/tvwhq) and Venmo (Venmo.com/Kody-Wilson), and support his sponsors.
