Erika Lopez has been bringing the latest weather forecasts to central Texas for four years. During that time, the local community also got glimpses into her life outside the studio. Now, this weather anchor is turning her focus on her family. Erika Lopez announced she is leaving KVUE-TV in August 2022. Austin residents naturally want to know why the meteorologist is leaving and where she is going next. They hope she will remain in the central Texas area and return to broadcasting soon. Here’s what Erika Lopez said about leaving KVUE.
Erika Lopez to Step Back from KVUE-TV
Arizona native Erika Lopez received a BS in Atmospheric Science with an emphasis in meteorology and climatology from Arizona State University in 2014. After graduating, she completed her internship at KTTC News in Rochester, Minnesota.
And by the time she received an MS in Applied Meteorology from Mississippi State University in 2019, Lopez already had quite a bit of broadcasting experience to boast about.
From 2014 to 2015, she did the weekend forecasts at KAVU-TV in Victoria, Texas. Lopez later moved to Denver, Colorado, where she worked at WeatherNation as a broadcast meteorologist.
She returned to Texas in 2017, when she joined KVUE-TV’s Daybreak team reporting the weather in Austin, Texas, until 2019. She left to briefly work with the weather team at KVUE’s Houston sister station, KHOU 11 News.
BITTERSWEET NEWS: KVUE Chief Meteorologist @ErikaLopezKVUE has made the decision to step away from the industry to raise her son full-time and focus on growing her family ❤️
Join us in wishing her luck in her future endeavors! https://t.co/pvLbz8wCnN pic.twitter.com/lP7HsNhEE3
— KVUE News (@KVUE) August 1, 2022
Upon her return to KVUE in 2020, she rose to chief meteorologist at the station. Austin residents not only got to know her as the face and voice of warning in severe weather crises (like the 2021 winter storms, 2022 tornadoes, and Hurricane Harvey), but she also let viewers into her life outside the studio.
These locals are saddened by Erika Lopez’s announcement about leaving KVUE. After breaking the news on August 1, she revealed that her last day on the air will be August 12.
Viewers should be happy to know that Lopez isn’t leaving Austin. But if you’re expecting her to reappear at another station, it may not be happening in the near future. The meteorologist is stepping away from broadcasting to become a stay-at-home mom.
Erika Lopez married Austin native Otto Staudt on September 7, 2019. Her followers got glimpses of the special day with fellow journalist Chelsey Hernandez featuring as the maid of honor.
The couple’s son, Odie, was born on December 2, 2021. He even took over the weather forecast one day in July.
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Now Lopez has revealed she is staying home to become a full-time mom for Odie. She hasn’t discounted the possibility of returning to broadcasting yet, but she remains active on social media. Moreover, locals might also run into her in the central Texas area.
