RTV6 Meteorologist Todd Klaassen

Broad Ripple Resident Todd Klaassen Talks Weather and Why He Loves Living in Indianapolis

Writer  /  Kara Reibel  .  Photographer  /  Stephanie Duncan

As a kid growing up in New Jersey, Todd Klaassen was fascinated by the weather patterns. His favorites were coastal storms and the influence of the ocean, especially in the winter. “It alway amazed me how this massive storm could produce only rain along the coast and then 10 miles inland over a foot of snow,” shares Todd.

“My parents said that I was discussing details of the weather at a very early age. It was the one thing that I have always been truly interested in,” shares Todd, who vividly remembers Hurricane Gloria uprooting a large tree from his front yard when he was a kid.

Todd attended Kean University, a meteorology school in New Jersey. He thought he would work with the science and technology aspect in the meteorological field of study. It was after Klaassen got his first job that he was encouraged to enter weather broadcasting.

“During college, I started working for a local CBS affiliate in New York City and received mentoring to work on demo tapes,” shares Todd. Once the tapes were distributed, Todd received a couple job offers. He accepted a position in Lansing, Michigan, before moving to Indianapolis in 2007.

“My job is multi-faceted,” shares Todd. “One part meteorology, one part graphic artist, one part presenter, and now with the social media component, I find myself posting even when I am not on the clock.”

The weather patterns, although different in the Midwest than the coast where Todd grew up, are always changing. In New Jersey, the coastal storms and warm waters would influence the weather patterns along the shore.

“I love going in every day. There is always something new,” says Todd. “The weather is always changing, and I love the challenges this represents.”

With Todd’s strong science background, he is skilled in forecasting. The CBM, or Certified Broadcast Meteorologist, is the highest certification for a meteorologist. The CMB Seal is awarded by the American Meteorological Society. Kevin Gregory at RTV6 also holds the CBM Seal.

The first thing Todd does when he gets to work at 4 a.m. is look at what is currently going on with the computer models and match up the lines with what is initializing. Todd literally takes out a sheet of paper and draws out the weather pattern for the next seven days. He puts together the forecast before he builds anything graphically. This is built prior to seeing this on television.

“As a meteorologist, you can bank on the computer models if they align,” says Todd, who builds the graphics throughout the morning. As part of the RTV6 weather team, he records radio and weather hits for WIBC in addition to broadcasting across the RTV6 television network.

In addition to work, philanthropy has always been a priority for Todd. Soon after he began working with RTV6, Todd was drawn into supporting the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society by some friends. In 2011, Todd ran a campaign for LLS Man of the Year. At that time, Todd had no family or close ties to blood diseases.

It was four years later that Todd’s father was diagnosed with a rare and aggressive blood cancer. “My parents were visiting and we were hiking in Brown County, and my dad was having a hard time keeping up, which was unusual,” recalls Todd. “He soon received the devastating diagnosis that he had AML Leukemia.” His father passed away last fall.

During the recent campaigns for Man and Woman of the Year with LLS, Todd served as Master of Ceremonies for several events, including an event at The Vogue for Alissa Moody’s Woman of the Year campaign.

“I met Todd through a dear friend of mine, and I instantly knew he was the perfect person to emcee the Yacht Rock Revue benefit concert I was hosting for my LLS Woman of the Year Campaign,” shares Moody. “Not only does Todd have an amazing stage presence, but he ran for Man of the Year before having a connection to leukemia or lymphoma at that time until tragically his dad was diagnosed a few years later.”

When Todd isn’t working at the station or volunteering, he is seen along the Monon in Broad Ripple. “I love it here,” says Todd. “Indy is a big city with a small town feel. With the concert venues, conventions and other events and with the explosion of urban living, Indy is booming.”

Comments 1

  1. Janet Visbeen says:

    Good to see how successful you are in the weather field. Enjoyed seeing all the pictures and reading all about you and your work. Keep up the great work. Jan Visbeen

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Send me your media kit!

hbspt.forms.create({ portalId: "6486003", formId: "5ee2abaf-81d9-48a9-a10d-de06becaa6db" });