Chris Gloninger

KCCI Chief Meteorologist and Climate Change Reporter

As with most meteorologists, Chris Gloninger became interested in weather when Hurricane Bob hit his hometown of Sag Harbor, NY. He stayed on a weather track completing internships at NOAA in Upton, NY and WABC in New York. He received his BS in Meteorology from Plymouth State University and was awarded a CBM from the American Meteorological Society where he presently serves on the Broadcast Board.

While Chris was in college, he worked as a Traffic Control Officer in his hometown and as a Fireman in Plymouth, NH. During the American Meteorological Society’s annual meeting in New Orleans, Chris delivered a paper on the importance of communication between Broadcast Meteorologists and First Responders. Viewers take weather warnings more seriously when there are actual reports from First Responders in the field. Because Chris has always been interested in keeping viewers safe, he earned his MS in Emergency Management from Millersville University focusing on climate mitigation and adaptation. Chris is hoping to establish a relationship with First Responders in the Des Moines area.

Chris’ career has taken him to Rochester, NY; Albany, NY; Saginaw, MI; Milwaukee, WI, and Boston,MA. While at our sister station WISN, Chris met his wife Cathy, who was assistant to the station’s General Manager; they were married in Milwaukee.

In his travels, Chris has been able to cover all different types of weather: hurricanes, EF 4 tornadoes, flooding, historic ice floes, blizzards and Noreasters. He was sent to cover hurricanes in New York, Florida, North Carolina and Texas. He also traveled across the country to cover two Super Bowls. Most recently, Chris established Boston’s first Climate Change series, and produced two half hour specials on how Climate Change affects all aspects of life.