Weather Channel dishes up live snow scoops from Texarkana

The Weather Channel's Mike Seidel broadcasts live on Wednesday morning just off of Mall Drive in Texarkana, Texas. Seidel pointed out the traffic moving along Interstate 30 during his broadcast.
The Weather Channel's Mike Seidel broadcasts live on Wednesday morning just off of Mall Drive in Texarkana, Texas. Seidel pointed out the traffic moving along Interstate 30 during his broadcast.

TEXARKANA - The Weather Channel's meteorologist Mike Seidel was reporting live from Mall Drive Wednesday morning as Texarkana experienced its second snow storm of the week.

The uniqueness of two back-to-back snowstorms and powder-like snow brought The Weather Channel crew to Texarkana Tuesday.

"We wanted to showcase the second snow storm. It's all about the meteorology," Seidel said. "We needed to find snow and this is a powdery snow. It's amazing to get such powder this far south."

Seidel flew in to Shreveport Saturday and met a freelance producer and camera person from Austin. They did live shots in Shreveport on Sunday and West Monroe on Monday.

Seidel decided to drive to Texarkana because of the amount of snow.

"It worked out perfectly," he said.

photo

Evans

Shreveport had more sleet but Texarkana has had very dry snow.

Another unusual thing about this weather is the record-breaking cold temperatures.

"The cold has just really been extreme - the temperatures and the duration of it," he said. Seidel rented a four-wheel drive SUV for the drive to Texarkana.

The crew was downtown Texarkana near the post office on Tuesday afternoon and in the Central Mall area Wednesday morning.

The Weather Channel has had crews in Texarkana before for tornado activity. This was Seidel's first trip to Texarkana, though he has been in Dallas, Little Rock and Shreveport before.

"Everyone has been great though we have only been at the Waffle House and Outback," he said.

The crew planned to stay Wednesday night in Texarkana but it had not been determined where they might go next. Seidel lives in Atlanta, Georgia where The Weather Channel is based and expects to be home in a few days.

Seidel has worked at the Weather Channel since 1992.

He has covered everything from hurricanes to tornadoes to snowstorms

Seidel is from Maryland and developed an interest in weather at a young age, even installing a weather station on the roof of his home when he was in the eighth grade.

He earned a master's degree in meteorology at Pennsylvania State.

Upcoming Events