Sealing the deal.

By KIRO Morning Meteorologist Rick VanCise

I’ve been studying weather as long as I can remember. I forecast it every day, and honed my skills at Mississippi State University’s renowned broadcast meteorology program. Still, it wasn’t until this weekend that I finally knew I was part of the club.

In the mail, mixed in with various ads for pizza and roof cleaning, was the package I’d been waiting for… my official seal of recognition from the American Meteorological Society (AMS). You can take all the weather courses you want, but until this paper from your peers arrives, the journey just isn’t complete. That blast of wind over Seattle the other day was my huge sigh of relief.

What the Society should also award is a certificate of patience. The weather seal took forever to arrive. It was way back in November that I sent college transcripts and samples of my KIRO forecasts to the AMS weather scientists who would judge whether this weatherman was in, or out. For four months I’ve been sweating it out, running to the mailbox like a kid waiting for a birthday present from grandma, looking for the seal… only to be disappointed. It turns out many other TV meteorologists did the same thing last year, overwhelming judges who became backlogged with entries, (and still are).

But alas, the seal is finally mine, the AMS symbol follows my name on TV and on business cards, and I can let one of the kids run to the mailbox now. As for my KIRO TV weather colleagues Sam Argier and Rebecca Stevenson I have a new found respect, not only for their excellent forecasting skills, but for the patience awaiting those three simple letters (AMS) to arrive.