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Meet The First Alert Weather Team

CBS News Texas Live

The CBS 11 First Alert Weather Team has a new way of alerting you to North Texas' changing weather on all your platforms.

First Alert Weather is not a slogan. It is a promise and a commitment from the CBS 11 newsroom every day to be the first to tell North Texans about the forecast to help them plan their lives.

Read more about the CBS 11 First Alert team.

 

Scott Padgett

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Chief Meteorologist Scott Padgett joined CBS 11 in September 2013.

Like many meteorologists, Scott's interest in weather started at an early age. Oddly enough, he had a fear of the weather from the time he was 3 until he was about 12. Scott and his father would sit on the front porch watching the storms roll into his neighborhood. He still remembers watching with amazement at the force of the wind and the intensity of the lightning. Thanks to his dad, his fear turned into a fascination, leading him to study meteorology at Western Illinois University, where he graduated with a Bachelor of Science in meteorology and a double minor in broadcasting and math.

During Scott's career, he has moved to and forecasted for many different climates. Scott has been challeged with ice storms, hurricanes, tornadoes and desert heat. Let's just say, Scott knows weather. But being from a military family, Scott is used to moving. However, he is now glad to be "back home" with family.

Scott is both a member of the National Weather Association and the American Meteorological Society.

In 2006, he was awarded the Seal of Approval of the American Meteorological Society. Scott is also an Emmy Award nominated meteorologist bringing more than 22 years of forecasting and broadcasting experience to North Texas.

Scott loves being active whether it is in the gym, hiking, running or traveling.

 

Dominic Brown

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EMMY Award-winning meteorologist Dominic Brown joined CBS 11 in May 2022.  

If there's one thing that most people want to know about Dominic, it's about his name. Don't let the spelling fool you. It's a family name. Dominic is named after his dad, but the best way to remember his name is to think of Dennis "The Menace." Really! You'll have it in no time. 

He received his Master of Science in Geosciences/Broadcast Meteorology from Mississippi State University (On-Campus) and his Bachelor's degree from the University of Georgia. Dominic is a Certified Broadcast Meteorologist (CBM) from the American Meteorological Society.

Dominic began his career in 2008 at WCTI-TV in New Bern, NC. From there, he spent five years at WTKR-TV in Norfolk, VA. It's notable that he was the first black meteorologist at both of those stations.

Before arriving in North Texas, Dominic spent five years as the first black chief meteorologist at WIS-TV in Columbia, SC.  During his time at WIS, Dominic tracked several major weather events that affected the Palmetto State, including Hurricane Irma in 2017, Hurricanes Florence and Michael in 2018, and Hurricane Dorian in 2019.  He also tracked several severe storms, including the deadly tornado outbreak that occurred on April 13, 2020 in Orangeburg, SC.  In August 2017, Dominicguided viewers through the Total Solar Eclipse as the moon's shadow carved a path right through Columbia, SC. An on-air special produced about the eclipse subsequently earned he and his colleagues an EMMY nomination.  He earned two more EMMY nominations in 2019, one for local coverage of severe storms in the Midlands and another for coverage of Tropical Storm Florence.

Dominic was honored with the 2018 Television Weathercaster of the Year Award of Merit from the South Carolina Broadcasters Association (SCBA). Then, the following year, Dominic received the second place award for the 2019 TV Weathercaster of the Year (TV I Division) from the Radio Television Digital News Association of the Carolinas (RTDNAC).

In 2020, Dominic was honored with the 2020 Southeast Excellence in Market Award (EMMA) for Best Weather Anchor. In September 2020, Dominic and his weather team won the 2020 Southeast EMMY Award for their live team weather coverage of Hurricane Dorian as the storm lashed portions of South Carolina with rain and wind in 2019. That same month, Dominic was voted as "Best Weatherperson" from the 2020 Free Times' Best of Columbia.  In November 2020, Dominic received the first place award for the 2020 TV Weathercaster of the Year (TV I Division) from the RTDNAC.  He and his weather team also won the second place award for their news special of the 30th Anniversary of Hurricane Hugo from the RTDNAC that same month. Then, in 2021 and 2022, Dominic was voted Best TV Weatherperson from Columbia Metropolitan Magazine's Best of Columbia.

Dominic is a member of the National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) and a member and past-president of the Hampton Roads Black Media Professionals (HRBMP).  He is a member of the National Weather Association (NWA) and the American Meteorological Society (AMS). In fact, in 2010, Dominic received the AMS Television Seal of Approval (#1833).  Then, in 2021, Dominic became a Certified Broadcast Meteorologist (#878).  Dominic was granted the American Meteorological Society's Certified Broadcast Meteorologist (CBM) designation in March 2021, which is awarded to broadcast meteorologists who meet established criteria for scientific competence and effective communication skills in their weather presentations. To earn the CBM, broadcasters must hold a degree in meteorology or equivalent from an accredited college or university, pass a rigorous written examination, and have their on-air work reviewed to assess graphical content, explanation, and presentation skills.  

Dominic is a member of the Dallas-Fort Worth Urban League Young Professionals and a proud member of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc.

When Dominic is not working, he enjoys spending time with his family, godchildren, friends and fraternity brothers, going to the movies, working out, watching sports, and cheering on his Georgia Bulldogs and his Mississippi State Bulldogs.

 

Erin Moran

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Erin Moran joined the CBS11 First Alert Weather Team in December 2019. Prior to that, she spent three years working as the morning meteorologist for KXXV-TV in Waco, Texas – so she's no stranger to the perks that come with living in the Texas climate, but she is aware of the unique challenges that come with forecasting the weather in the Lone Star State.

Erin actually began her career in television news after graduating with a degree in communication from Westfield State University in Massachusetts. She started as a production assistant and worked her way up to reporter, covering news at TV stations in Springfield, Massachusetts, Albany, New York and Charlotte, North Carolina. Erin enjoyed the fast paced environment of the newsroom, but she noticed herself gravitating towards the weather side of things, especially after covering several major weather events. It was in Charlotte where she met her eventual weather mentor, and he encouraged her to go back to school for meteorology.

Erin took a full time job as the weekend morning forecaster at WBTW-TV in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina while taking meteorology classes online through Mississippi State University. In Myrtle Beach, she covered severe thunderstorms and lots of tropical weather, including Hurricane Matthew in 2016 as the storm made its fourth and final landfall just south of Myrtle Beach, near McClellanville, South Carolina. Less than three months later, she made the 1200 mile journey to Texas with her soon-to-be husband and their dog, and the rest is history!

 

Jeff Ray

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Jeff joined CBS 11 in December 2010. He came to North Texas from Nashville, where he spent the past 11 years, most recently as the morning meteorologist at WKRN-TV. His career has also taken him to Kansas City, Mo., where he was the senior meteorologist at KSHB-TV. Prior to that, he worked at television stations in Jefferson City, Mo.; Knoxville, Tenn.; and Fort Pierce, Fla.

Born in Lubbock, Jeff spent most of his childhood in Tennessee. He returned to Texas to attend the University of Texas at Austin, where he received his first undergraduate degree. Jeff went on to study news at the University of Florida and later completed his bachelor's degree in broadcast meteorology at Mississippi State University. He also holds a master's degree in science education from the University of Missouri at Kansas City.

Jeff and his wife are thrilled to be raising their two sons here in North Texas. In his spare time, Jeff enjoys gardening, cooking (which is more like scientific experimentation, if you ask his wife) and woodworking.

 

Brittany Rainey

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Brittany fell in love with weather at a young age watching the sea breeze storms develop every afternoon in Tampa, Florida.

She knew her career needed to entail weather and decided becoming a broadcast meteorologist was the path for her. She attended Florida State University and graduated in 3 years with her Bachelor's of Science in Meteorology and a minor in mathematics.

She spent 3 years in Tulsa, Oklahoma covering all types of severe weather from tornadoes to blizzards. Her time in Oklahoma introduced her to Dallas where she would take weekend getaways visiting the Arboretum in every season.

When Brittany is not working you can find her on the Trinity Trails with her pups Watson and Comet.

She loves including viewer photos in her weathercasts, so please send her your dog and trail pictures to be featured on CBS 11.

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