A native of Grand Rapids, Matt Kirkwood’s fascination with weather was “sparked” as a young child who was afraid of thunderstorms. He was acutely aware when there would be storms in the area as he religiously watched the two weather legends of West Michigan: Craig James and Bill Steffen. Never did he think he would be lucky enough to work with them.
Matt graduated from Creston High School in Grand Rapids. Before starting his professional career, he had various jobs, including: delivering papers for the Grand Rapids Press; camel rides at John Ball Zoo; Ryder truck rentals and working at the Meijer warehouse.
These jobs helped pay for college classes that extended from Grand Rapids Community College, Western Michigan University, Grand Valley State University and eventually Central Michigan University, where Matt earned his meteorology degree.
Matt had two internships: one with the National Weather Service office in Muskegon and the other at WNEM-TV in Saginaw, when he decided to pursue a career in broadcasting.
Matt’s first job in the business was at WPBN-TV/WTOM-TV in Traverse City, Mich. from 1996 to 1998 – first on weekends and then the weekday morning show.
Now with Storm Team 8, you can find Matt on “News 8 Daybreak” and “News 8 at Noon” on weekdays.
Various activities keep Matt busy in his downtime like weightlifting, golfing and helping with his kids’ various sports activities. He also loves cars and visiting car shows with his son.
One of his favorite times of the year is winter, which allows him to enjoy his passion for skiing and snowmobiling.
Matt lives in Grand Rapids with his wife and their twins.
