Family life, forecasting at center of Rockford native Morgan Kolkmeyer's radar
ROCKFORD — Tracking the potential for severe weather in the Midwest gives meteorologist Morgan Kolkmeyer an adrenaline rush.
“I really just love the changes that we see, especially in Chicago by the lake,” Kolkmeyer said. “We have the most dramatic weather changes from one week to the next and I think that’s so much fun. So, I get a big kick out of it.”
It’s been five years since the Rockford native and self-described weather geek made the jump from 13 WREX in her hometown to WGN TV's top-rated morning show in Chicago, the nation’s third largest television market.
Kolkmeyer said she owes a debt of gratitude to former WGN news director Jennifer Lyons, who offered her a job.
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“Truthfully, I probably wasn’t good enough and wasn’t ready to be where I’m at,” Kolkmeyer said. “But, she saw something there and knew I could get there so she took a chance on me and, man, do I owe her.”
Kolkmeyer typically rolls out of bed at 1:30 a.m. and makes the commute from her home in the northwest suburbs to WGN's studios where she provides weather updates for the station’s 4 to 6 a.m. newscast each weekday.
The station’s early morning news team also includes anchors Dan Ponce and Lauren Jiggetts, reporter Marcus Leshock and traffic reporter Sarah Jindra, all of whom Kolkmeyer considers personal friends.
“We’ve become very close over the past five years and I think that’s what has made our team successful early in the morning because people know that we’re friends too,” Kolkmeyer said.
Kolkmeyer has seen her family grow since moving out of Rockford. She and her husband, Ryan, celebrated their fourth wedding anniversary in April.
The couple has a two-year-old son, Brady, and a seven-month-old daughter, Jaye.
“We’re equal parenting partners,” Kolkmeyer said. “I go to bed early once the kids go down. My husband stays up and takes care of all the dishes that I left behind while watching the kids all day. He cleans up the messes so I can get my five hours of sleep before I wake up for work.”
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Five hours of shut-eye before the alarm sounds at 1:30 a.m. may sound brutal to some, but Kolkmeyer describes her schedule as a blessing.
“I get to be home with my kids from 9:30 in the morning until bedtime when my husband is home,” she said. “I get to work at a job that I love and get to be home with my kids, and I feel like I’m getting to raise them. I just think it’s ideal that I get to do both.”
Kolkmeyer is a 2009 Harlem High School graduate. She earned her associate’s degree at Rock Valley College before graduating from Northern Illinois University with a bachelor’s degree in meteorology and a minor in applied mathematics.
While she lives in the Chicago suburbs and works in the city, Kolkmeyer remains loyal to her Rockford roots.
“My parents and my sister are still there along with some aunts, uncles and cousins,” she said. “The majority of my family is there and my best friends are there too so I’m in Rockford all of the time.”
But will she ever catch up on her sleep?
“I keep telling people that I’ll sleep when my kids are in school,” Kolkmeyer said. “I’m doing what every other parent or working mom is doing. It’s just the season of life that is constantly busy, but I love it.”
Ken DeCoster: kdecoster@rrstar.com; @DeCosterKen
This article originally appeared on Rockford Register Star: Family life, forecasting on Rockford native Morgan Kolkmeyer's radar
