KAAL chief meteorologist Chris Kuball is leaving Southern Minnesota for a spot at Local 5

Jay Stahl, Des Moines Register
·2 min read
Chris Kuball joins Local 5.
Chris Kuball joins Local 5.

Northern Iowa transplants in the metro will soon find a familiar face on their TV screens.

Chariton native Chris Kuball, who currently serves as chief meteorologist at Rochester, Minnesota-based ABC station KAAL, is coming to Local 5 next month in a move he called "that next leap forward" in a lengthy Facebook post on April 20.

After more than 15 years in the Land of 10,000 Lakes, Kuball is punching his "ticket back home" when he leaves KAAL on May 30 and joins the We Are Iowa weather team on June 12. The father of three and husband to Tiffany will serve as Local 5's mid-day and 5 p.m. meteorologist. KAAL serves both southern Minnesota and northern Iowa.

"I've been presented with an offer I couldn't refuse and one that gets me back home to where I grew up," Kuball said in the post.

Kuball arrived at ABC 6 News in December 2007 straight out of Iowa State University and moved to the morning team in 2011 before being named chief meteorologist in September 2012. Kuball interned at KCCI in college.

He said that now was the time to leave KAAL and he had been grappling with the decision for a stretch of time.

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"The goal has always been to try to get to Des Moines, that is my final destination," Kuball said. "In recent years, that's been the only two choices, ABC 6 News or Des Moines."

In a press release, WOI management expressed excitement at his arrival.

"Chris’ extensive experience and invaluable knowledge of meteorology is an asset to the Local 5 (WOI) Weather team as we work to keep viewers informed and safe,” Local 5 news director Perry Pace said. “We are delighted to welcome Chris and his family home to Iowa.”

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Kuball's exit comes amid staffing shifts at KAAL. Longtime nightly news anchor Laura Lee, one of the first Hmong anchors in the country, departed the southern Minnesota station Friday after 13 years for a job as lead anchor at NBC affiliate Northern News Now (KBJR) in Duluth.

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Jay Stahl is an entertainment reporter at The Des Moines Register. Follow him on Instagram or reach out at jstahl@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Chris Kuball will leave Southern Minnesota TV screens for Local 5