Out the Door in DC
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A longtime DC Weather Anchor says he is taking his Doppler and going home.
WRC's Meteorologist Tom Kierein announced he is retiring in a couple of weeks.
When Kierein came to Washington from Providence, R.I., in 1983, he joined chief meteorologist Bob Ryan, who raved about his contributions.
“For a generation, Tom was the morning forecaster everyone in the D.C. area watched and trusted,” Ryan said. “He has been a terrific colleague and friend.”
Together, Ryan and Kierein formed the dominant weekday weather team in Washington for nearly three decades.
“I have had a wonderful career here at NBC4 and came along just as Willard Scott had moved to the ‘Today’ show and Bob Ryan had arrived,” Kierein said. “It was such an honor to work with Bob for so many years and to serve our many viewers.”
The Washington Post says that Kierein, who is an outdoorsman, said he is moving to Colorado, where he has many family and friends. “I’ve seen and done everything I want to do in Washington,” he said. “I’m going to explore the West, using Colorado as my base.”
He said he is planning an “epic road trip.” From Colorado, he’ll venture 3,500 miles to Alaska, where he wants to take the Alaska Highway and go all the way to Point Barrow above the Arctic Circle. He expects the journey to take several months.
“I know he will enjoy no more deadlines and more time with his family, or just drifting along in his kayak without an alarm clock,” Ryan said.
Kierein will become the third veteran meteorologist to leave Washington’s airwaves in recent years. Ryan retired in 2013. This May, ABC7 chief meteorologist Doug Hill announced that he will retire in September.
