Or imagine that a tornado warning exists in your region and you feel a responsibility to literally follow it in your car in an effort to be able to accurately convey to others it’s strength and likelihood to impact a certain area. Welcome to the life of Nick Palisch, BS, MM, Program Director for Student Services, and the College of Optometry’s own meteorologist.
His interest in meteorology is long-standing as he relates, “My passion for weather began at a very young age and through high school I would create a daily weather forecast as part of the daily announcements. In my junior year of high school I met with then KMOV-TV Channel 4 Meteorologist Trish Brown and Joe Petrovich who helped steer me in the path of weather. I began storm chasing in 1996 and then went on to pursue education in atmospheric science. In my meteorology career, I worked in the media on air and off and for a newspaper. Currently, I create a biweekly forecast for the Perryville Newspaper (my hometown newspaper) and I also serve as the staff meteorologist. In addition to the forecast I write a monthly weather column for the paper where I share my passion for meteorology with local readers. After 3 years in the media spotlight I found a new passion: education. However, the love of weather remains close to my heart each and every day.”
Of course, to be a dedicated meteorologist requires much studying of weather patterns – which tend to constantly shift – and also many risks as he relates: “Weather often takes me out into the storm to gain a better perspective of why and the awe of mother nature. In my pursuit of tornadoes I have captured over a dozen different tornadoes and have witnessed the fury of what they are capable of doing. My goal is always to take a complex weather forecast and bring it into simple terms, but that is only part of the equation--my goal is to educate others on why the conditions are occurring. My favorite type of forecasting is severe weather--as I tell people severe weather is like baking a cake--without all the ingredients you will not have a cake and the same exists for weather--I love severe weather. The other forecasting I love is winter weather--one of the toughest forecasts to put together, but definitely a test of my education and knowledge of meteorology. Each day I look at a variety of computer models to develop a forecast.”
Nick has been able to apply his passion with the many media outlets available to people today. “While I am no longer in the media spotlight on a daily basis, I still do a Facebook weather page, called Nick's Weather as part of my First Warn weather brand. In the last month I have launched an app for the iPhone and also the Android through Google Play. The app is called "Nick's Weather" and is free for download. I am currently working on an enhanced version of the app which should be out in time for severe weather season. In addition to the Facebook page, apps for iPhone and Android, I recently launched the FirstWarn Weather Page on YouTube and I am currently working on a website. Through all these outlets, it is my goal to provide the public with the most accurate weather forecast. In addition to being accurate I strive to earn the trust of the viewer while living out my passion”.
I would encourage everyone to “like” Nick’s page on facebook – over 4300 individuals do “like” his page (Nick’s weather: FirstWarn Weather Center) where his territory includes all of Missouri and much of Illinois. Certainly he has been extremely busy this winter, one of the worst winters in history as he accurately predicted back in the Fall, and the frequency and depth - not to mention accuracy - of his many facebook weather reports are greatly appreciated by his followers. The famous actor Alan Alda once said: “It’s not the length of life, it is the depth of life”. Nick Palisch has represented a very popular and important addition to the College of Optometry who is beloved by our students while introducing many important new programs and resources. While this winter has been nothing less than a nightmare for most of the country, including St. Louis, it has resulted in early mornings and long weekends for our resident meteorologist. Despite forecasting the difficult winter weather for St. Louis, one thing is certain—Nick has been nothing less than constant sunshine for the College of Optometry.