Surprise Change In Colorado Weather, As Mike Nelson Announces Retirement

A fixture on Colorado televisions for four decades, the inventor of "The Tornado Dance," and overall nice guy, Mike Nelson is calling it quits.

It's going to be "weird" for thousands of Coloradans when they go to look for information on Colorado weather, and Mike won't be there.

What will he do with his retirement?

Colorado Meteorologist Mike Nelson to Retire

With a broadcast career spanning nearly 50 years, Mike Nelson has become a member of the family for generations of Coloradans. Now, it's time for him to put all that crazy Colorado weather behind him and hang up his "Tornado Dance" shoes.

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The stories that Mike could probably tell you about being a weatherman/Chief Meteorologist for four decades could probably fill a great book; though he'd be more energetic for you to get his book about climate change.

When is Colorado's Mike Nelson Retiring?

According to Denver 7, Mike will roll up all his weather maps by the end of 2024, with his last weathercast coming on December 12.

Mike Nelson Helped NBC's Al Roker Get Started

Mike was behind the very first weather computers in the 1980s and would go around to television stations and show them how they operated. One of those stops was at NBC to show Al Roker the ropes.

In Colorado Since the Early 1990s

Having started his career in 1976, Mike and his wife, Cindy, moved to Colorado in 1991,  when he became chief meteorologist for KUSA Channel 9. In 2004, he took on the same position for KMGH Denver 7.

RELATED: Watch Mike Nelson's New Puppy Hysterically Discover Dandelions

Mike Nelson's Famous 'Tornado Dance'

Mike himself estimates that he performed his "Tornado Dance" for about a million kids, as he would visit schools to talk about Colorado's weather.

Here, he performs the dance for the media in Denver:

From a Denver 7 press release regarding Mike's retirement:

Nelson has been a trusted figure at Denver7 not only on the nightly news, but as an expert voice during some of the most devastating natural disasters and weather events, including the Windsor Tornado in May 2008, September 2013 flooding, and many major blizzards, including the “bomb cyclone” that stranded hundreds in March 2019.

The recognitions throughout Nelson’s career are many, including being awarded 20 Emmy awards, the elite Silver Circle award from the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, recognizing his significant and impactful contributions to the broadcast industry, and the Colorado Broadcasters Association’s 2001 Citizen of the Year.