Chief Meteorologist Alissa Carlson has crossed the country covering all types of weather, and now she's happy to call Bakersfield home. Growing up in Illinois, Alissa spent most of her life watching severe thunderstorms and measuring snow with her dad who loves weather. Meanwhile, Alissa's mom was a reporter and so another career in broadcasting was born. After graduating Salutatorian in high school, Alissa went on to earn a Bachelor's of Science degree at Illinois State University followed by a Certificate of Broadcast Meteorology at Mississippi State University. She's a member of both the American Meteorological Society and the National Weather Association.
Highlights of Alissa's weather career include covering the Mississippi River Floods of 1997 and 2001 while in the Illinois-Iowa Quad Cities. While in Greenville, North Carolina, Alissa worked through the active hurricane season of 2004. She went on to cover the record-breaking hurricane season of 2005 in Jacksonville, Florida. Even though she loves a good storm, Alissa is a fan of sunny skies and warm temperatures. That's one reason California is a good fit for her.
When she's not hunkered down in front of computer weather models, Alissa experiences the weather outside by jogging or just soaking up the sun. She looks forward to getting involved in the community and influencing young kids to enjoy the weather.
