Passion for weather started at a young age for SCSU alumna

Weather has always been fascinating for Mandy Thalhuber.

“I’ve wanted to be a meteorologist ever since I was a little girl. That never changed,” she said. “I was a 5-year-old blonde with pigtails chasing storms in my driveway and staring at the clouds and always giving my parents weather reports.”

For Thalhuber, enrolling at St. Cloud State University to pursue that passion was an easy choice. She wanted to stay moderately close to home — which at the time was about an hour away from St. Cloud, and SCSU was and still is the only option for a meteorology degree in Minnesota.

Thalhuber majored in meteorology and minored in mass communications, and finished her bachelor’s degree in 2008. While on campus she was a resident advisor, worked in admissions giving campus tours, and was involved with both UTVS and KVSC.

“I really just fell in love with the campus and everything about it,” she said. “I loved giving tours and helping other prospective Huskies choose whether to go there or not.”

After graduation, Thalhuber was hired by Weatherology — Weather Eye Radio Network at the time — as a meteorologist and worked there for nearly 15 years before joining MPR News as a broadcast meteorologist.

“I love that I get to help the public understand the weather — to help them get a visual for the weather and what's coming and help prepare them. Providing severe weather coverage helps keep people safe,” she said. “When weather does turn scary or dangerous even, that's a highlight of my job — that we effectively save lives. Maybe not like doctors or nurses, but we save lives and property by covering the storms and making sure people are safe.”

In addition to making people aware of possible weather events, Thalhuber enjoys working with the public and meeting new people through her role.

“I love meeting new people and seeing people who have the same passion for weather that I do, and seeing them light up just as much as I do when I talk about my job,” she said.

Thalhuber said she still sometimes refers to textbooks and notes from her classes at SCSU, and reads Emeritus Meteorology Professor Bob Weisman’s daily weather reports.

“I had and I do I have such high respect for the professors there and their love and passion for teaching,” she said. “The thing about weather is we're constantly learning. It’s constantly evolving and changing, so there is so much to learn still.”

While Thalhuber loves what she does for a living, she encouraged students and prospective meteorologists to understand what they’re signing up for with a career focused on weather. Covering weather does not entail traditional hours, and severe weather means extra hours and additional stress.

“Your love and passion have to outweigh the constraints there are in the job. Weather is 24/7, 365 days a year. Weather is not a nine-to-five job; it doesn't know weekends,” she said. “What you want to do with your meteorology degree; it has to outweigh the fact that you will be working weekends and nights and possibly overnights, depending on the job you pick. It has to be a right fit for you.”

Despite the unconventional schedule her work produces, Thalhuber wouldn’t have it any other way. She encouraged others to find what they’re passionate about and to follow that path.

“I think my advice for people is just to be proud of where you came from, what school you went to and never forget how far you've come,” she said. “I remember days where I’d be crying into my textbooks, thinking, ‘What am I doing with my life? This is so hard.’ And then I look at myself now and realize it was all worth it. Just keep striving for what you want.”