As far as mornings go, if you’re a meteorologist, this one was hard to beat.
Brian Niznansky, chief meteorologist for WTMJ-TV, had just thrown out the first pitch for his alma mater’s baseball team. Mere minutes before, he combined liquid nitrogen and boiling water to conjure a cloud behind home plate, drawing screams of approval from a couple thousand school kids in the stands. And – in perhaps the hardest meteorological feat for an spring morning in Wisconsin – he did it all against the backdrop of a bright and nearly cloudless sky.
OK, so maybe Niznansky just got a bit fortunate on that last point. After all, he doesn’t control the weather, just forecasts and explains it. But the fans at Franklin Field on April 29 appreciated the sunny skies nonetheless, as well as the 18-15 Panthers victory over Northern Illinois University.
Learning some science
Niznansky and the TMJ4 Storm Team were there to present their Traveling Weather Show at the UWM baseball team’s first-ever School Day. It was a fun and engaging way to teach the students from area elementary and middle schools about some of the science behind weather and baseball.
“I like that they’re here to enjoy a baseball game,” said Niznansky, who graduated from UWM in 2005 with a bachelor’s degree in atmospheric sciences and meteorology. “But if you can sprinkle in some scientific knowledge, and our weather team can share our passion, I hope that the kids’ brains got sparked a little bit today.”
So Niznansky’s team challenged the kids with a few pop quizzes on the video scoreboard, with questions like, are baseballs hit farther in warm weather or cold? (Answer: warm, because the air isn’t as dense.) Or, are there more hits on sunny days, cloudy days, or is there no difference? (Answer: cloudy, because it’s harder for fielders to see the ball against the clouds.)
Students saw an in-park demonstration of how a weather green screen works during TV broadcasts. And they also got a tour of the TMJ4 Storm Chaser vehicle, with its plethora of weather-related technological tools.
Creating a cloud
Then, of course, there was the big finale, which Niznansky began with a strict warning to not try it at home. Behind home plate, he and Discovery World’s Therese “Rese” Cluck Schneider poured liquid nitrogen into a large garbage can. Then they took a Gatorade bucket of boiling water and quickly dumped it into the liquid nitrogen.
The temperature change caused condensation, and the resulting white cloud exploded out of the can and billowed out toward the stands. Judging by the enthusiastic cheers from those students, plenty of young brains were sparked.
Niznansky, who grew up in Racine, traces the spark for his own career back to UWM. As a kid, he loved watching the Weather Channel and knew he wanted to study meteorology, but didn’t necessarily think it would lead to a TV career.
“I went to school to learn about weather. I didn’t go to school to talk about weather,” said Niznansky, who remembers being terrified at the prospect of being on television. “I didn’t think I had it in me.”
‘I owe everything to UWM’
But his UWM studies led to an internship at TMJ4 under local weather legend John Malan, and that experience slowly but surely pushed him to become more comfortable with the prospect. “Now, it’s probably the easiest part of my job, talking about weather.”
Niznansky speaks glowingly about the many ways UWM helped mold him into the meteorologist that TMJ4 viewers trust today, from supportive professors like Paul Roebber to the challenging curriculum to the camaraderie built through the storm-chasing trips in Tornado Alley with the Atmospheric Science Club. “I owe everything to UWM,” he said.
These days, Niznansky has a particular knack for forecasting winter storms. He credits that to his Wisconsin-based roots, education and career.
“There are things with winter storms that computer models just aren’t going to do very well on. And a lot of that has to do with Lake Michigan,” he said. “Certain spots on the lake, certain little undulations of where things stick out, how much temperatures are going to affect whether it’s going to be rain or snow.”
Knowledge like that is why viewers keep tuning in. His friendly, smooth delivery – whether to a TV camera or to a stadium full of kids – is a far cry from those early days of nerves. And he absolutely loves taking the show on the road.
“The kids are so excited to be here. To see them smiling out of the classroom, outside, is huge,” Niznansky said. “I think they get some of their best experiences when they’re involved in something bigger, and hopefully we provided that today.”
