Tom Coomes, Chief Meteorologist

I grew up in Michiana; Little League in North Liberty, hockey in the IYHL and high school football at South Bend Washington. I remember summers on Lake Manitou in Rochester at one set of grandparent's house and winters sledding in South Bend at the other.
After graduating from Purdue and moving to Colorado to start my career in Grand Junction, I wasn't sure if I'd be back. 300 day of sunshine, mountains and skiing, who would leave? For most, it sounds like paradise, unless you're a meteorologist, then it can get a little boring.
When I got the call from my now boss “We're launching a new news station in South Bend” I thought he was pulling my leg. It's all I could ask for in a new chapter in my career. I enjoy taking on a challenge, and building something from the ground up was just the thing. Not only that, but in what I'd consider one of top weather markets in the county. Not many places can it snow 100 inches and get down to 20° below zero in winter, to severe weather and 90s in summer and everything between. Oh, and I was home.
I got the love of science from my grandfather, who was a PhD physics professor at the University of Notre Dame, he helped me with my first science project in first grade that was on light and the color spectrum. Starting at Purdue, I thought I wanted to be a chemist, but being stuck in a lab all day didn't' seem right to me. I picked meteorology because it combined what I thought to be my two best talents, talking and science.
When I'm not doing all things weather I like to travel, enjoy the outdoors, garden, grill and of course enjoy some craft beer. You're likely to find me on my bicycle on sunny day, at the South Bend Farmers Market in the summer and at one of our local breweries on a Friday night.
I have a passion not just for weather, but for informing the public. I feel I live the First Warning brand because I think telling you “in the moment” of the storm is already too late. I'm a planner and I take it as a mark of pride when I can help others plan for the next hour, day or week. I look forward to taking Michiana weather into the modern age and love using social media, especially Twitter.
You can send me an email, follow me on Twitter and like me on Facebook.
Articles by Tom Coomes
- Cold and quiet end of the week, another weekend storm
- Monday night's winter storm
- Forecast focus remains on Monday's winter storm
- Falling temperatures Friday, focus remains on Monday
- Cold and quiet, a more active winter pattern next week
- Evening snow, cold Wednesday
- A little more wintry, light snow Tuesday evening
- Weekend snow showers
- No surprise, 2020 second warmest year on record
- Rain changes to snow tonight, accumulation still suspect
- Winter weather returns, starting as rain Thursday afternoon
- Snow to end the week, unlikely to be a big deal
- Quiet until a chance of snow to end the week
- 2020: Warming climate shows little sign of slowing down
- Winter on pause, sunny start to the weekend
- Staying snow-free until the end of next week
- Little change, gray weather continues
- Gloomy, gray but boring
- Slick through tonight, melting Saturday
- Cold, quiet end to 2020, a slippery start to 2021
- A slick start to 2021, freezing rain Friday
- Snow, Ice, & Rain: The latest on tonight's wintry weather
- Two rounds of freezing rain possible this week
- A cold and snowy Christmas
- Windy Wednesday, then falling temperatures and lake effect snow
- A sloppy start to Saturday
- The next round of wintry weather is Saturday
- A slight warm-up before a messy weekend
- Snow showers Wednesday, something might stick
- Cold, cloudy and quiet
- Soggy start to Saturday, then temperatures fall
- Mild Thursday, before a soggy Saturday
- Sunshine returns midweek
- Stubborn clouds break, sunny and warmer midweek
- Minor changes, more fair weather
- No sign of winter weather
- Winter on pause for now
- Lake effect snow through Tuesday morning
- Dry thanksgiving, a fair weekend
- Wet Wednesday, dry Thanksgiving
- Sloppy Tuesday and Wet Wednesday
- Cool and cloudy weekend
- Temperatures fall into the weekend
- Windy Thursday, wet weekend
- Fair and mild through Friday, breezy Thursday
- Tuesday is the coldest day this week
- Improving Saturday | Deteriorating Sunday
- Cool start to the weekend
- Frosty start, sunny and milder Thursday
- Big changes: A return to fall weather
- Another day of record warmth
- One of the warmest starts to November on record
- A streak of 70s ahead
- As mild and sunny as it gets for November
- Mild weather returns Tuesday
- Nice Saturday, blustery Sunday
- Winter Outlook 2021: A rare 'normal' winter
- Cool and dreary Tuesday, weather improves by Halloween
- Cool but fair weekend
- Temperatures crash Friday
- The warm-up Thursday, before temperatures crash Friday
- Another 70 degree day Thursday; cold front Friday brings cool temperatures
- Warming midweek, dramatic drop Friday
- Dry days and damp nights this week
- Frosty Friday morning, crisp sunny day
- Feeling like fall, much cooler Thursday
- One more mild day before temperatures fall Thursday
- Tonight's temperature drop a preview of later this week
- Later 80s becoming the new normal
- Mild weekend but a sharp cool-down Saturday evening
- Second summer this weekend
- Breezy Wednesday, warm weekend
- The only disruption in fair fall weather, a breezy Wednesday
- A chilly October weekend will help turn fall color
- Rainy evening, cooler weekend
- Wetter Thursday, cooler Friday
- Breezy, rounds of rain midweek
- Cooler weather to start October
- The last hurrah of summer
- Summer sticks around through Saturday