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The Wx Centre Team
Kyle Sooley-Brookings
Chief Forecaster
Athabasca University Atmosphere, Weather, and Climate program.
How did you become interested in the weather?
Since the age of 3, I've been interested in the weather (I've been told). In Grade 5 we did a unit in science on the weather and that sparked an interest and growing up in Newfoundland and Labrador, it was the snowstorms that really got me interested.
What is your most memorable weather experience?
Hurricane Igor in 2010, I was shocked at how powerless we are against mother nature.
What is your favourite sports team?
The Toronto Maple Leafs.
What is one fact about you most people don't know?
I'm left-handed.
Christopher Poitras
Meteorologist
Completed the Penn State Weather Forecasting Program and Marshall University Bachelor of Science Majoring in Geography, with an emphasis in Weather Broadcasting.
How did you become interested in the weather?
Since I can remember, with having been born and raised in Calgary, the constantly fluctuating and volatile climate further sparking an already budding interest in weather. As I was growing up, all-weather fascinated me, especially how every person relies on a great forecast in one way or another. However being a prairies kid, thunderstorms have always fascinated me the most. As a result, after experiencing a few severe thunderstorms in my own backyard (and even having to hide in the basement on a couple of occasions, due to an imminent tornado threat), I knew exactly what career path was meant for me! I knew that I wanted to become a Meteorologist, as I have a resilient passion to warn people, and ultimately save lives in the path of imminent severe weather!
What is your most memorable weather experience?
A severe thunderstorm that produced a tornado NW of Sundre, Alberta on July 30, 2010. This storm was the first time I experienced witnessing the development of tornadogenesis.
What is your favourite sports team?
The Calgary Flames.
What is one fact about you most people don't know?
I had the fortunate opportunity to attend the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics.
Find him on Twitter.
Carole Chantler
Content Contributor
How did you become interested in the weather?
Picked up a cheap meteorological textbook and started reading it. After that, I just started photographing storms.
What is your most memorable weather experience?
Down at a creek photographing storm clouds. I felt the hair stand up on my arm and smelt sulfur. However, I did not leave at that time. I kept shooting clouds. It wasn't until a fork lightning bolt came down an arm's length away from me. I left then. It left a large hole in the ground.
What is your favourite sports team?
The Tampa Bay lightning.
What is one fact about you most people don't know?
I am not a Severe storm chaser I am a Severe storm stalker. I do it all on foot.
Gabriel Berardo
Operational Forecaster
How did you become interested in the weather?
As a kid when I would look outside my window watching a storm, it just felt powerful and made me more and more interested in watching more and more storms. I’ve always wondered how far Mother Nature could possibly go. For example, when I think of a low pressure system it’s like it has a mind of its own and a certain personality to it. Every storm is different and some of them even go off the charts. You never know what to expect with the next one.
What is your most memorable weather experience?
My most memorable weather moment was August 4th 2020 when I spotted my first funnel cloud.
What is your favourite sports team?
The Toronto Raptors.
What is one fact about you most people don't know?
People don’t understand how much I love the weather, and how meaningful it is to me when the next storm moves in. It’s an obsession.
Max Pittman
Reporter
A youth who is actively involved in his community and loves giving a different, more youthful perspective about current topics that impact young people in today's society.
What is your favourite sports team?
The Seattle Seahawks.
What is one fact about you most people don't know?
When I was younger I played every sport imaginable but when I moved halfway through grade 6 is when I started doing theatre, dancing and many other things.
Luke Hardowa
Social Media Specialist
How did you become interested in the weather?
I just started to like looking at clouds and that just got me into liking weather!
What is your most memorable weather experience?
? My most memorable weather experience was in August of 2018 when there was a severe thunderstorm outside of my city and it produced a tornado and you could see the rotation in the clouds! It was a nice storm! Maybe a little bit scary too.
What is your favourite sports team?
The Edmonton Oilers
What is one fact about you most people don't know?
What is one fact about you most people don't know? How much I love the weather! Lots of people don’t know how much the weather and looking at it really means to me.
Find him on Twitter.