Maddie Kirker left Spectrum News 1 Texas in Austin after two years with the station. Her final forecast aired Aug. 26 as she prepares for a major move, a wedding and an as-yet-undecided next chapter.
Kirker announced her departure on social media two days before her last broadcast, revealing she kept the news under wraps for some time.
“LIFE UPDATE: After two years with Spectrum News 1 Texas, it’s time for my next chapter!” Kirker wrote. “I’ve kept this a secret for a while, but Wednesday will be my last day on-air here at Spectrum News.”
Kirker said she plans to head east in the coming weeks, spending time in the mountains, marrying her fiancé and celebrating with family. Where she ultimately settles, however, remains undecided.
“Where we land is very much TBD, but being closer to family + experiencing actual seasons again?? I’m READY,” she wrote, adding that followers should expect to see “way more” of her on social media.
Kirker joined Spectrum News 1 Texas in August 2024 as a morning meteorologist. In January, she shifted from mornings to forecasting for the station’s 5 p.m. newscast.
Before moving to Austin, Kirker worked as the morning and noon meteorologist for Wake Up CBUS at WBNS 10TV in Columbus, Ohio, joining the station’s Doppler 10 Weather Team in November 2022.
Her broadcasting career has also taken her through Virginia, Colorado, South Carolina and Mississippi. She spent three years as a weekday noon and 4 p.m. meteorologist at WTKR News 3 in Norfolk, Va., and previously worked at KXRM/KXTU in Colorado Springs, Colo., WPDE ABC15 in Myrtle Beach, S.C., and WCBI in Columbus, Miss.
Kirker earned a bachelor’s degree in broadcast meteorology from Mississippi State University. While in college, she competed in the National Collegiate Weather Challenge, placing first among 1,500 undergraduate forecasters and fourth overall while forecasting weather for Allentown, Pa.