URBANA – No, your ears were not deceiving you. Meteorologist Ed Kieser gave the forecast on Friday morning, June 26. After a 16-year break, WILL-AM/FM/TV’s former full-time meteorologist is back to team with Andrew Pritchard.
During the summer and fall months, Kieser will fill-in when Andrew is on vacation. The duo will team up during emergency breaking weather, such as Tornado Warnings, Severe Thunderstorm Warnings, and other life-threatening weather hazards or when needed.
From January-June, Kieser will produce Monday-Thursday morning forecasts for local newscasts during NPR’s “Morning Edition” on WILL AM 580, WILL-FM 90.9, and Illinois Soul FM 101.1. Pritchard will produce morning forecasts on Fridays. It will allow him to concentrate on his full-time role at Nutrien Ag Systems, where he often travels long distances during the winter months. The duo will also team up when necessary to provide emergency breaking weather coverage.
Kieser spoke with IPM News and Public Affairs Director Reginald Hardwick about his return to the airwaves in Central Illinois.
Kieser was WILL’s second fulltime meteorologist, succeeding Kirk Melhuish, later known as Kirk Mellish, who recently ended a long stint forecasting weather for WSB Radio in Atlanta. Before him, WILL received its weather forecasts from Mark Harrison, who also reported news, and Steve Hilberg, who worked nearby at the Illinois State Water Survey on the University of Illinois campus. From 1987 until WILL disbanded its weather department in 2010, Ed Kieser was joined by other meteorologists and forecasters, including Mike Sola and Scott Olthoff. But in a 2022 interview for Illinois Public Media, Kieser says he started out as the station’s sole staff meteorologist.
In 2025, Kieser retired as a meteorologist at an energy company in Columbus, Ohio. His interest in weather led to a bachelor’s degree and then a master’s degree in meteorology from The Pennsylvania State University. His master’s thesis advisor was Dr. Greg Forbes, former severe weather expert for The Weather Channel. While at Penn State, Ed took a few classes in broadcasting and worked part-time as television weather anchor/producer for WNEP-TV in Scranton, a country music deejay for WGMR-FM in State College, and news anchor/producer for WPSU-FM in State College.