Dan Romano, weatherman for WDIO TV, did not start his career in typical fashion. In 2010, he was living in New Jersey, thirty years old, bartending, and taking a second stab at college when he happened to catch Reed Timmer on Storm Chasers one night after a long shift.

“Just watching Reed Timmer on TV made me think this is something that I have wanted to do my entire life,” said Romano.

The next day he started researching meteorology programs and found Northland College.

The third time was a charm. Northland College fit him well. He developed his own WRNC radio show called “Romano’s Rage,” and he played baseball—a passion since childhood that followed and helped him through his twenties. He assisted with coaching his senior year and now coaches a little league team in the region.

Within two years of stepping foot on campus, Romano was offered an interview at WDIO, the local weather station in Duluth, Minnesota, and went on air in January 2013.

Romano graduated from Northland in May 2014 with degrees in meteorology and mathematics—cum laude.

At WDIO Romano is part of a team of five meteorologists and develops two to four forecasts a week. “I fill out a forecast sheet looking at the current conditions and I also look at the short and long range trends,” said Romano. He works every weekend and fills in for Good Morning Northland.

He is not chasing storms or starring in his own television show, but Romano is happy. “It’s not quite like Storm Chasers, but I get to do more than just chase storms,” he said. “I have the opportunity to share good weather with people and tell them they can go outside and enjoy their weekend.”