Forecast? Bright

Tyler Molleur, 15, of Vermont, is so good at predicting the weather that his local paper hired him.

(Caleb Kenna)

How did you get your job as the forecaster for The Hardwick Gazette?

In the summer of 2007, I stopped by the bookstore in Hardwick, where a friend works. He told me to go over to the Gazette and ask for a job as a weather reporter. I submitted my first forecast just days before flash flooding hit.

How accurate were you? Right on the money. I said "severe weather," and we did get severe weather.

How accurate have you been since then? It varies. I do a five-day forecast, but I have to submit it two days before publication, so it's really a seven-day forecast. My accuracy is good for the first three days, 80 to 90 percent. With the last four days, it's like flipping a coin.

Do readers complain when you're wrong? The only complaints are from my teachers. They know me well enough they can pick on me.

Do you get paid by the Gazette? For the forecasts I don't. But when there's a severe weather outbreak, I get paid $15 to write a report and $8 if they use one of my pictures.

Do you predict school cancellations? Our district is reluctant to cancel school. In mid-December, we had a school closing, and I predicted it. Another time, in January, I placed a minor wager with my science teacher. I bet him a dime and a paper clip school would be closed. He's now a dime and paper clip richer.

How far back does your love of weather go? A decade ago, Hurricane Floyd hit up here. I was 5. I wanted to watch Bugs Bunny. But my dad said, "No, we're watching the news." From there, I started doodling pictures of weather scenes.

What's your favorite weather to watch? Summertime thunderstorms. We live on top of a hill [in Stannard, Vermont], so I can see about 40 miles out to our west. I can see thunderstorms slowly roll in.

What's your favorite storm-related movie? I don't really have time to watch movies. I do like the Storm Stories series that the Weather Channel airs. I was only at the movie theater twice in my life. The nearest one is 30 miles away.

Any hobbies not related to weather? I play three instruments: alto sax, oboe, and piano. My music teacher challenged me to play every instrument in the band room. I just started the oboe and now have all the notes down.

What weather equipment do you have? I now have seven weather radios. They run between $10 and $70. I keep one in my room, one at my desk, one in each of our three cars. The other two are lying around in case one gets broken. I got my first weather radio four years ago, and it was gone within six months. I have three siblings, ages 13, 8, and 1, so I worry about their destructiveness. I'm not mentioning any names.

Career plans? I want to be a teacher. If that doesn't work out, and the kids get too obnoxious, I'll go be a meteorologist.

Do you ever get pressure from friends to alter your forecast? They'll tell me to call the superintendent at 5 a.m. and tell him there's 2 feet of snow out there. I have never attempted that. I don't think there would be any point. Then we'd need to be in school for an extra day in the summer.