Laubhan: Weather In Your Hand
PROTECTED CONTENT
If you’re a current subscriber, log in below. If you would like to subscribe, please click the subscribe tab above.
Username and Password Help
Please enter your email and we will send you a password reset link.
Matt Laubhan, chief meteorologist with Mississippi Live Weather, holds up a phone to illustrate his approach to weather coverage — reaching people through the device they carry with them at all times.
WATER VALLEY — While his forecast ahead of Winter Storm Fern drew much of the attention during the Water Valley Area Chamber of Commerce reception on April 14, Matt Laubhan used the opportunity to talk about something else — how weather coverage itself is changing.
Laubhan, chief meteorologist with Mississippi Live Weather, told the crowd his move away from traditional television was shaped by events over the past year, including a brief period when his former employer planned to eliminate local meteorologists before reversing course days later.
“The funny thing about how it all went down is when we found out we were getting our jobs back, I was the only person that was sad,” Laubhan said.
That moment, he said, forced him to take a step back and consider what came next. Laubhan chose to move in a different direction, launching Mississippi Live Weather last summer with a focus on digital platforms and real-time coverage.
“I’m just going to go be on the thing that everybody already watches me on anyway,” he said, holding up his smartphone.
Rather than relying on scheduled television broadcasts, Laubhan now provides continuous coverage during severe weather events, often staying live for hours as conditions develop.
He said the goal is simple — to meet people where they already are.
“It’s about getting information to people where they are,” Laubhan said.
That approach proved especially valuable during Winter Storm Fern, when widespread power outages limited access to traditional television.
Even without electricity, many residents were still able to receive updates through cellular networks, allowing coverage to continue when other communication methods were unavailable.
“The way we get information out is just as important as the forecast itself,” he said.
Laubhan also told the crowd at the reception that changes across the media industry are driving that shift, with digital platforms and independent operations playing a larger role alongside traditional outlets.
Laubhan also said others in the industry are already looking at similar changes, with more meteorologists expected to move toward digital, direct-to-audience platforms.
