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Hullabalog is pleased to profile Kristine Kahanek ’89. Kristine, the former chief meteorologist for KTVT-TV, a CBS affiliate in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, has embarked on a new career as the author of children’s books. ♦

Why did you decide to attend Texas A&M?
Not only was it the place where my dad went to college, in the ‘50s, but I really wanted to have two options open: Veterinary Medicine and Meteorology. It could have been animals or weather, either way. But meteorology always fascinated me as a kid. At the time, A&M was the only university in Texas with a B.S. in Meteorology. It was a very difficult major, loaded with high-end engineering, aerospace, chemistry, thermodynamics. Frankly, it was a lot more than I thought it would be. But I loved it! I loved the traditions at A&M, the campus, everything … I made every football game I could. I lived both on and off campus, so I was really exposed to the whole student experience there.

What made you choose weather as a career?
My father was a pilot in the Air Force. Plus, we also lived on a farm, so weather really impacted both his career and our way of life – raising horses, growing alfalfa, working outside.

After graduating with my meteorology degree, I went to the National Weather Service, where I stayed for 10 months. I had always wanted to be a meteorologist on TV, so when I had the chance to go to the ABC affiliate in Waco, KXXV, I jumped at it. I moved from there to the ABC station in Austin, where I worked morning newscasts for years. That brought me to Dallas, where I worked for a couple of stations, and then began my career as a children’s author!

After working in the weather business for so many years, what inspired you to write a children’s book?
As a meteorologist, I spoke at a lot of schools, met a lot of parents and even received calls from parents whose kids were petrified of storms. That’s when I started to realize that many parents don’t know enough about weather to educate their children about what’s happening when it storms outside. One day, I was brainstorming with a friend over lunch who said, “You need to write a children’s book.” So, I created a character, Katie, who is a guardian angel. She wears a winged watch that alerts her when the children she watches over need her. Katie dispels children’s fears as she takes them on a journey into a thunderstorm. The children learn about rain, lightning and thunder, as well as hail and tornadoes. By understanding the science behind the thunderstorm, the children’s fears are replaced with the knowledge of what a thunderstorm is and what to do when one happens.

The book, Katie and the Magic Umbrella: A Stormy Adventure, hit stores last September. It’s been a great experience, and I’ve already been tinkering with ideas for my next one. I hope to do three or four weather-related books that will not only give parents a tool, but teachers, as well. The books will provide educational information, a weather glossary, Q&A, etc. Children can read the book, and then answer questions about thunder, lightning, storms and other weather-related topics.