Trinidad and Tobago
Guardian
New weather anchor joins CNC3 today
KRISTY RAMNARINE
Meteorologist Jean-Marc Rampersad joins the Guardian Media team as the
CNC3 Weather Anchor from today. Rampersad spent over ten years at the T&T Meteorological Services before making the switch to Guardian Media.
Rampersad replaces Kalain Hosein, a climate, weather, and environmental
journalist who was the lead weather anchor at CNC3 for the last five years.
Viewers and readers can expect accurate and timely information about the
weather and many other environmental and climate-related topics from
Rampersad, who has a BSc in Atmospheric Science and an MA in Disaster
Management.
The St Mary’s College alumni was accepted into Florida International
University to do geoscience/geophysics, but after doing the foundational
courses, he realised it was not for him.
“My academic adviser suggested I switch to atmospheric science given my
strong maths and physics background,” he said.
“I enjoyed the introductory courses, so I switched tracks and completed
the degree in three years (on scholarship). As a returning scholar, I was
placed at the Trinidad and Tobago Meteorological Service under the
Associate Professional programme, after which I was absorbed into the
organisation.”
With a passion for ‘the weather’, Rampersad wants to bring his expertise
to the citizens of this country.
“I’m always interested in severe weather events locally and around the
globe,” he added.
“Every morning when I head outside to walk my dog, I (sometimes
subconsciously) take a mental note of the types of clouds and how it ‘feels’
outside (temperature, humidity, winds) to get a gauge of what to expect for
the rest of the day.”
The brand new father, whose wife gave birth to their daughter in July,
loves spending time at home with his family and his dog, which he now
considers his eldest child.
“I regularly watch and play football (sweat/fete matches/video games),”
he said.
“I also must start my day with a big cup of coffee.”
For the football enthusiasts out there, Rampersad is an Arsenal fan.
He added proudly: “I watch a lot of English football on the weekends.
Otherwise, I would generally enjoy watching most sports, including cricket
and basketball. I also have a newfound interest in disaster management,
hence the Master of Arts, so I always keep up to date with developments
from the ODPM and local government. Weather and disaster management
tend to go hand in hand.” Rampersad is excited and a bit nervous about his
new role.
“I have spent hours practicing over the past weeks, with a lot of guidance
from Kalain about aspects of the job that are new to me,” he added.
“As every day passes, I feel a bit more confident and comfortable. I hope
that I can build on the work that Kalain has done and eventually add my
own spin to the weather forecast.”
Photo: Meteorologist Jean-Marc Rampersad PICTURE ROBERTO CODALLO