Denver legend, Mike Nelson, retiring from TV weather this week

When I think of pop culture icons in Denver names like Jake Jabs, Dealin’ Doug and the Shagman from Rocky’s Auto come to mind, but there’s one name that stands above the rest… Meteorologist Mike Nelson! 

Nelson trained Al Roker, has won 20 Emmy Awards, in 2016 was inducted into the Emmys Silver Circle for 25 years of service in the TV industry, and is one of just 25 weathercasters nationwide (the only one in Colorado) to be named a Fellow of the American Meteorological Association for outstanding contributions to weather science over an extended time period.

More than that, he was invited into the homes of nearly every Denver area citizen for the 30 plus years, delivering his unique and personable weather forecasts. Mike will also be remembered for coming into Colorado schools to teach about the weather and do his famous “tornado dance.”

Nelson is chief meteorologist at Denver7, where he’s worked for 20 years. He was also the chief meteorologist at 9News for 13 years and worked in St. Louis, Missouri, and Madison, Wisconsin, before coming to Colorado. He’ll deliver his final weathercast for Denver7 tomorrow (Dec. 12).

In a statement, Nelson said he’s loved watching storms since he was a child and tried to bring that enthusiasm to his weather reports. “I hope that my forecasts have been a source of knowledge and comfort, especially during severe weather. I will always enjoy keeping an eye on the skies, savoring the beauty and wonder of the weather,” Nelson said.