Michael joined the 13 ON YOUR SIDE weather team in April 2020 as the weekend evening meteorologist. He is continuing his lifelong passion for learning about, communicating, and predicting the weather. From being afraid of storms as a child to chasing them as an adult, Michael has seemingly kept an eye on the sky for his entire life.
Michael has worked in television since late 2012 when he joined the weather team at ABC 21 Alive (WPTA-TV), in Fort Wayne, Indiana. He worked there for 3 years as a weather specialist, filling in as needed and covering everything from severe weather to massive winter storms. This position also included work doing the weather for NBC 33 (WISE-TV) in Fort Wayne and My TV 20 (WMYD-TV) in Detroit.
Following that position Michael moved off to the north in 2016 spending a year with Saginaw, Michigan based CBS affiliate WNEM-TV 5. Michael was primarily the weekend morning meteorologist for TV 5, but you would usually find him on-air throughout the week as well as on their second channel MY 5.
Michael also has past experience from the weather team, at then CBS affiliate, WISH-TV in Indianapolis, where he interned during the summer of 2014, and as a student volunteer at the National Weather Service office in Indianapolis during the summer of 2015.
Michael most recently worked for 13 On Your Side sister station CBS 19 (KYTX-TV) in Tyler, Texas as their main morning meteorologist. He worked there from 2018 up until moving to Grand Rapids in 2020. While there he gained invaluable experience tracking and forecasting severe weather in one of the most active regions of the country. He now brings that experience back north.
Michael is a graduate of Ball State University with a Bachelor of Science in Geography with concentrations in Professional Track Meteorology and Geographic Information Sciences. He graduated cum laude with an honors diploma from the Ball State Honors College in May 2016.
Michael was heavily involved in student media at Ball State, including holding the positions of reporter, producer, forecaster, technical operations director, assistant general manager, and chief weather forecaster for the student radio station WCRD 91.3 FM, as well as forecaster, producer, and chief weather forecaster for NewsLink Indiana, Ball State’s nightly television newscast. Michael was also a member of the Ball State Storm Chase Team for his entire time at the University, participating in multiple storm chase events and gaining his HAM radio license.
Michael’s work at Ball State was recognized by several scholarships and awards, including the David L. Odom Award for Outstanding Service in Meteorology and Climatology and a Society of Professional Journalism award for best television newscast being among some of the most notable. Capping this off was a 2nd place award for best student weathercast from the Broadcast Education Association. To win this award Michael submitted his work against students from all around the nation, beating out many of the best and brightest in the field.
You can follow Michael on Facebook at Meteorologist Michael Behrens, on Twitter @MikeBehrensWX, and Instagram @MikeBehrensWX!
