Why Weather Matters
Weather is the most primal and universal factor in consumer decision-making. It affects where we go, what we wear, what we eat, what we buy – and crucially, how we feel.
It is virtually the only real-time data set that provides insight into a consumer’s mood, desires, and purchase intent at any given moment. Weather affects around $3 trillion worth of business in the private sector alone in the US. 70% of people check the weather forecast at least once every day!
Meet the Team
Nick Mikulas
Meteorologist
Nick’s fascination with weather at an early age was coupled with an intense fear of severe weather. The only other fear he had was his basement, so when the tornado warnings hit, it was decision time on which fear was worse. The fear of severe weather would always win out, and off to the basement he’d go to hide under the stairwell under a giant Star Wars pillow.
Nick ended up getting his degree in atmospheric sciences from The University of Missouri in 2001. So, he’s officially a meteorologist but is entirely comfortable being referred to as a “weatherman”.
When he was about to head to his college graduation, Nick decided to send out 5 resume’ tapes to various cities. On the way home from graduation, he got a call from KALB in Alexandria Louisiana, and took the job, sight unseen! He went to pack up his stuff in Detroit where he had been interning at WDIV, and started the journey to a town he’d never been to. He was only going to be in Alexandria for 2 years or less, so getting the experience was all that mattered.
Life has a funny way of working out, and when he met a local girl, that 2 years became a lot longer. Nick left the TV business in 2009 to help his wife run Louisiana Promotions, which was their business that she had started many years prior. His love for weather never left, so it turned from a full time job back into a hobby. Social media was becoming a thing, so he figured he’d start posting some local forecasts for friends and family. Over the years, the audience grew, and the commitment to providing honest, dependable, local weather for Central Louisiana grew along with it.
Finally, it became evident that this was no longer a part time job, and Nick had somehow, accidentally built his passion for weather into something that could no longer be contained! It was time to go for it, and bring on his mentor and weather-legend Tom Konvicka to provide accurate forecasts, hype-free weather discussions, and up to the minute information on severe weather for the area Nick moved to for 2 years over 20 years ago.
Nick and his wife Kristen have 2 kids, Max and Lily. They are empty nesters with 4 cats that will probably make occasional appearances in Nick’s weather videos. Nick is thrilled to be a part of Cenla Weather, and will do everything he can to build on the trust he has gained from the Central Louisiana community.
Tom Konvicka
Meteorologist
After earning a degree in mathematics/geosciences and graduate study in atmospheric science at Texas Tech University, Tom Konvicka and his wife arrived in central Louisiana in 1984 when Tom assumed the role of Chief Meteorologist at KALB, a position he held until 2021.
From 2021-22, Tom was a meteorologist with the Mega 3 Storm Team at KTBS in Shreveport.
Through the better part of five decades, he served the viewers of Cenla. That service prompted the Louisiana Association of Broadcasters to present Konvicka with the Lifetime Achievement Award in Television in 2016.
He specializes in weather forecasting, severe local storms, and tropical cyclones and he developed original methods to aid in forecasting and assessing the impacts of inclement weather in Cenla. He also compiles temperature and rainfall reports from a large variety of sites across Cenla, allowing for hyper-local coverage and awareness of weather conditions.
Tom is dedicated to serving the fine folks of Cenla during times of both good and bad weather. Tom also wears many hats besides weather-he is an author, forensic consultant, and former adjunct instructor at Louisiana College (now LCU) from 1998-2019.
Most of all, however, Tom is a Christian man who serves Jesus Christ and the good people of the Cenla community.