March 6th, 2025 7:30pm - Meteorology via Fayetteville, Arkansas

When: March 6th, 2025 7:30pm

Where: Fayetteville, Arkansas - Meteorology

Who: Skot Covert

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There are different types of Meteorologists. This Meteorologist works on weather. He warns us if there is bad weather or tells us if we are going to have good weather.  Meteorologist’s work hours depend on what the weather is like, if the weather is bad they would have to stay late or if the weather is fine they would have less work. The weather can be unpredictable and sometimes the computers could stop working because there's a limit on what they could do. The weather could knock out the computers and they would have to have backups like manual work. Some tools that they use to predict the weather are satellites and computer models. They use Doppler Radars for more severe weather like tornados and some people go try and actually just get a look at the tornado or other kinds of severe weather. 

Even if there is bad weather, like a tornado, heading towards the weather station they would still try and work until they absolutely can’t anymore and then they go into a safe place. A Category 5 Tornado came in and they got to go fly towards it and see it up close. They have to try and tell the weather where people can understand it because some people could interpret it differently than others based on where they live or what language they speak. Climates can change a lot during a long period of time because if it is usually hot in an area it could be known for being a little hotter or colder in the future. Jobs for Meteorologists make different amounts of money based on where they live, like in New York, New Jersey, or Texas. He has encountered a few EF3 Tornadoes and only a small amount of EF5 Tornadoes. Tornadoes can be very dangerous and can cause many deaths and property damage. One time they spotted and looked at a tornado that was about as wide as the Golden Gate Bridge. 

The number one misconception is people think that Meteorologists study Meteors. Did you knoa a tornado watch means it could happen while a warning means it is actively happening at that exact moment? Journalism is a fancy name for lots of professions that documate history. He mostly covers Oklahoma and Arkansas but also talks about big things related to weather, most notably hurricanes.

If you have interest in meteorology then you should obviously focus on the weather but also Math and Science are very important. Even if you're bad at Math it's still very much possible to become a Meteorologist.

 

7:00PM - Little Rock, Arkansas, USA (Meteorologist & Emmy Award Winning Journalist @ THV11)

When: March 7th @ 7:00PM

Where: Little Rock, Arkansas, USA

Who: Skot Covert - Meteorologist & 3x Emmy Award Winning Journalist @ THV11

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The only way to get data from a hurricane is by plane. They then take the data and tell people where it might go. The difference between watch and warning: watch is might happen, warning will happen

Weather and climate aren't the same. Weather is short term, climate is long term. Bad weather comes in different ways: tornadoes, hurricanes, heat waves, etc. 

Along the gulf coast, there are constant hurricanes and an unofficial spectrum, called the Waffle House spectrum. The bad hurricanes mean the Waffle House is closed, and decent hurricanes means that they have a limited menu. 

The meteorologist wakes up at 2 am and starts the weather at 4:30 am! “March 31st I was working… as a very violent tornado went through downtown Little Rock. I will never forget that day” was his reply to what was the scariest storm he encountered. What he did that day saved many lives. He should be proud of himself.

He wanted to do this job because he was just in love with weather and storms since he was a kid. Starting at just a local news station.

The thing he loves about his job is that it always changes. The weather, obviously, changes a lot but so does his job. “It is always a fun challenge that changes so often.” 

“The more and more I watched the more I learned. The more I learned the more I was curious.” That's what he said as a reply to what inspired you to do your job.

The coolest thing he has done on the job was fly into a hurricane to collect data. 

8:15 PM - Little Rock, Arkansas, USA - Meteorologist (THV11)

When: March 9th @ 8:15 PM

Where: Little Rock, Arkansas, USA - Meteorologist/Journalist

Who: Skot Covert - Meteorologist/Journalist (THV11)

Our next stop is Little Rock, Arkansas! We are talking to Skot Covert. He is a meteorologist and has to be prepared in case of severe weather. He says it is very wet and rainy where he is. Skot was always scared of thunderstorms when he was a child. Eventually he learned more about storms and tornadoes. Over this time he came out of his fear of storms. There he gained his interest to be a weatherman.

Arkansas can have many different weather types throughout the day. A meteorologist is the only job where you can be 50% wrong and still not lose your job.

Other than being a meteorologist, he is the only scientist in the building. Also on Fridays, he goes out to help his community by helping get dogs adopted. This really shows how heartfelt he is and what a good person is.

Skot says that the biggest misconception of being a TV meteorologist is that they get paid a lot. This is probably the exact opposite of what actually happens. He also informed us that FedEx and Walmart have their own meteorologist team so they can know what type of weather they will encounter when shipping.

We were all shocked when he told us that he has won an Emmy! When he attended college, he took a class that had nothing to do with weather. He later remembered his childhood dream of being a meteorologist. He started doing stories about many common problems in the world. A couple years ago, he did a story on duck hunting! He said duck hunting is very popular because Arkansas has the best temperature for them to have a great habitat. His boss entered his story to run for an Emmy. He never thought he would win against other people who have been doing it for years. He then comes to realize that he won!

For work, his wake up time is 2:00 AM! Everyone was fascinated by this fact. It's not typical for people to wake up that early. He has to be at work by 3:00 AM and then be on set at 4:00 AM. This is because he has to wear makeup and get camera ready. He must have to go to bed super early just to get up at this time.

Lakes can cause different temperatures. Who knew lakes could give off winds. We live near Lake Lewisville, therefore that's why we get some of the weather that we get. The hardest part for him of his job is telling people the information that is necessary. He also only gets 3 minutes to talk about the weather! Sometimes he has to tell people life threatening news and jam it into 3 minutes. He says it's very scary to do it.

Arkansas can be known for agriculture. They grow the most rice than any other place. A Lot of the chicken and rice from the supermarkets came from fields in Arkansas. Walmart also started in Arkansas in the headquarters. In Arkansas there is a place where you can go dig your own diamonds. If you find a diamond, you get to keep it and take it home.

From what we know of the weather, climate change is a big thing in the world right now. At one time they had what is called “solid science”. This is basically when they were making no new discoveries and were just stumped. From this, overtime they have had science change.

We really appreciated talking to Skot about his job and the culture of Arkansas. Onto our next stop!