Rich Segal has been doing weather for over 25 years. His career began in Columbia, Missouri, when he was asked to be a fill-in weathercaster for the University of Missouri television station.

“They told me it would take two or three weeks to find a permanent replacement from the Atmospheric Sciences Department. Two weeks turned into three years. My passion for weather developed during this time because of the changes in the climate of Mid Missouri," he said.

Rich moved to Texas in 1978, serving as the Chief Meteorologist for KAUZ-TV in Wichita Falls. From there, he moved to Denison where he served as Chief Meteorologist, then as News Director.

"The challenge of forecasting weather in Texas was much greater than it was in Columbia. Texas has move severe weather situations than Missouri, so there was more for me to learn regarding thunderstorms and tornados," he said.

Rich moved to Austin in 1993 and spent a little time with KXAN-TV and did some fill-in work at KTBC-TV. He joined the News 8 Austin weather team full-time in March 2003 after serving as a fill-in for a year-and-a-half.

"Being a 24-hour operation affords us the opportunity to stick with severe weather situations from start to finish with wall-to-wall coverage during severe thunderstorms and tornadoes. Our viewers appreciate the fact that they can tune into News 8 during times like this and be kept totally informed until the weather calms down," he said.

Rich is a member of the National Weather Association. He spends several hours a month visiting schools and organizations to talk about Central Texas weather and tout News 8 Austin.

When he's not studying up on the latest weather technology, he spends his free time as an avid sports fan and spending time with friends.

Rich moonlights as the public address announcer for the University of Texas women's basketball team as well as the official scorer for the Austin Bat Boys softball team.