Twitter: @AUSTINSWEATHER
Email: Kelly.Slifka@twcnews.com
Kelly Slifka began working at Time Warner Cable News as a meteorologist/traffic reporter in July of 2014. He grew up in Minnesota and was fascinated with weather and always knew he would be a meteorologist.
Slifka graduated from the University of Wisconsin in Madison with a degree in Meteorology. While in college Slifka worked part time at Weather Central and made graphics and forecasts for many newspapers around the country. He also made graphics and talked to meteorologists for Good Morning America.
Slifka later moved to Albuquerque, New Mexico where he started working for the National Weather Service. Slifka learned all about the workings of the NWS and the phenomenal job they do protecting life and property. Without the NWS, meteorologists wouldn't have the computer models and modern radar systems to do their job.
He started his television meteorologist career at KOB-TV in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Later, he took a morning meteorologist position at WEAU-TV in Eau Claire, Wisconsin. Slifka moved back to Madison, Wisconsin where he worked for five years at the dominant No. 1 station: WISC-TV as the weekend meteorologist for 5 years.
On May 31, 1998 which happened to be his birthday, was one event that he will never forget. An unusual but very destructive "derecho" formed over Northern Iowa into Southern Minnesota around 10 p.m. This line moved eastward through western Wisconsin with winds clocked over 100 mph. This line didn't lose intensity until it hit eastern Michigan early the next morning. That was a long night in the weather office.
Slifka moved to Austin in 2003 as the weekend morning meteorologist at KVUE-TV. Since then he was on and off at KEYE-TV and freelanced at KTBC-TV until he joined the TWC News Weather on the 1s Team.
He is interested in weather, sports and living an active lifestyle. Kelly enjoys beach volleyball often and rides his bicycle everywhere.
As an avid biker, during the summer of 2013, Slifka rode his bike from Austin to Minnesota. The 1,300 mile trip took him about 16 days as Slifka toured the tornado ravaged areas of Granbury, Texas and Moore, Oklahoma.