Kaj O’Mara has been providing accurate weather forecasts to Iowa’s KCRG TV9 News viewers and keeping them well-informed and safe for 16 years. But now their go-to meteorologist has announced his departure. Kaj O’Mara is leaving KCRG for a new opportunity. Since the announcement, loyal viewers have been wondering where Kaj O’Mara is going and if he will continue in meteorology. Read on for the details on Kaj O’Mara’s departure from the station.
Kaj O’Mara to Step Back from KCRG
Kaj O’Mara earned a BS in Meteorology from Iowa State University in 2007. While an undergraduate at ISU, he was actively involved with Iowa State’s television and radio stations.
During his final year at Iowa State University, he took on the role of academic chair for the local chapter of the American Meteorological Society.
Moreover, O’Mara also interned at KCCI 8 News in Des Moines and later at KCRG TV9’s weather lab during the summers.
Kaj O’Mara completed an undergraduate research thesis on severe weather forecasting concerning jet streams, in addition to serving as an intern and a teaching assistant for the Iowa State University Meteorology Department.
In December 2008, he received the Certified Broadcast Meteorologist (CBM) Seal from the American Meteorological Society. He has also earned the widely respected Certified Consulting Meteorologist (CCM) designation by the AMS.
The CCM certification is awarded exclusively to those with broad meteorological knowledge and expertise in a specific field of specialization.
O’Mara joined the KCRG TV9 News First Alert Storm Team in February 2007. And since then, viewers have followed him for all the weather updates, informative posts, and graphics.
But now the meteorologist has now announced his departure. Sadly, Kaj O’Mara is leaving KCRG TV9 News after 16 years to focus more on his family.
O’Mara said, “For 13.5 of those years, I was waking up anywhere between 1:45 am and 2:00 am. For the first 8-10 years, this actually worked out well, and when trying to raise a family, it was ideal. However, the last couple of years, and particularly this most recent year, have been tough. As the girls grow and my chronic fatigue continues to increase, it was time to consider something different. The nights were getting awfully, awfully short.”
The First Alert Storm meteorologist’s last day on the air will be April 21, 2023. He has accepted an opportunity in meteorology consulting with a global consulting firm. This position will challenge him in multiple ways from a meteorology perspective.
O’Mara also spoke about his new job and said, “There’s no moving required, and I can do the vast majority of the work remotely right here in Cedar Rapids! Forensics is a different animal, and I’ll be able to share a little more about the global consulting firm when I actually start there,”.
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The meteorologist has also stated that his Facebook page will no longer be active after his last day at the station.
