Meteorologist
Email: Monte.Montello@news14.com
Meteorologist Monte Montello.
Raised near Joliet, a suburb of Chicago, Monte developed his interest in weather as a teenager while working at a greenhouse. The link between weather and plants pushed him to watch weather and eventually to pursue a degree in meteorology.
After graduating with a double major in Meteorology and Speech Communication from Iowa State University, Monte landed his first job in broadcast at KHAS-TV in Hastings, Nebraska. There, Monte learned the basics weekend weather forecasting. Severe thunderstorms, winter weather, and tornadoes were all too common in the Great Plains. In addition, Monte learned the tough duties of a weekday general assignment reporter.
Monte’s next job took him to WBTW in Myrtle Beach. While on the Grand Strand, Monte covered headline weather events such as Hurricanes Charley and Gaston. Monte also led coverage on several tornadoes events, including the nasty remnants of Hurricane Frances in ’04. Monte’s years in Myrtle Beach earned him his AMS Seal of Approval and a 1st place award for Environmental Reporting from the South Carolina AP.
Although Monte loves the outdoors, he says he’s glad to be back near the metro-world and close to a network of interstates! While not honing in on approaching weather, Monte enjoys, biking, hiking, camping, wood-working, surfing, and especially spending time with his beautiful wife Laura and pet cat Midnight Montello.