The latest local news, weather and high school sports in and around Columbia and Jefferson City

You can find Zach Paul giving you a forecast on just about any newscast KRCG has. Zach has been an important member of the KRCG weather team since May of 2003 and has served many roles. Before KRCG, Zach was an assistant weather producer at KMBC-TV in Kansas City. It was there he trained with one of the best and highly sought after meteorologists in the nation, Bryan Busby. Zach attributes his love for the weather and his job to Bryan, who actually visited his elementary school when he was in the 3rd grade. It was at this young age Zach was bitten by the “weather- bug.”

Growing up Kansas City, Zach has seen his fair share of Missouri weather. Like many kids, Zach was afraid of thunderstorms as a child. But he has grown out of that and made this fear a passion. Zach enjoys chasing these thunderstorms and even the tornadoes that drop from them. While at KRCG, he’s logged 10 tornadoes, but since 2000 he’s spotted over 30. The most active day in Central Missouri that sticks out most to him is March 12, 2006. An F-3 passed near the towns of Marshall, Arrow Rock, and Moberly; as well as an F-2 passing right through Sedalia and Gravois Mills.

Zach studied meteorology and atmospheric science at the University of Missouri-Columbia. While there, he co-authored a paper and did research on the Frequency of Occluded Frontal Occurrences over North America that was submitted to the Electronic Journal of Operational Meteorology. Zach is also a member of the National Weather Association as well as a student member of the American Meteorological Society.

When not forecasting or studying, Zach loves to travel. Snow skiing in the Rockies and a trip to Las Vegas have been known to happen from time to time. Aside from traveling, Zach likes spending time firing up the BBQ and spending time with friends.