Sunny Outlook

Alyssa Andrews Gets Back to Her Roots

Writer / Julie Yates

Photographer / Brandi Caplinger

Alyssa Andrews is back home again in Indiana, after a three-year stint at the ABC affiliate station in Lexington as the weekday morning meteorologist on “Good Morning Kentucky.” A 2021 graduate of Mississippi State University where she earned her master’s degree in meteorology, she can be seen covering the weather on both Fox 59 and CBS4. As an alumnus of both Center Grove High School and Indiana University, her heart never really left the area.

“I’m so excited to get back home,” Andrews says. “It was always a goal. This is where I belong. I found myself driving three hours to go to my niece’s soccer games. I could see where my priorities were. Home happens to be a pretty big place. There are eight meteorologists on staff and we are called the Weather Authority. I do the weather on the CBS side every Saturday and Sunday night, and fill in on Fox 59 as needed for Chief Meteorologists Brian Wilkes and Chris Wright. They are so knowledgeable and I soak up what they share like a sponge.”

Andrews, who began her career as a sports broadcaster, never thought she would become a meteorologist. While she was at Center Grove High School, she was a competition cheerleader and followed her mom’s footsteps by playing a bit of softball. One of her teachers suggested she participate in Center Grove TV (CGTV), so she thought she’d give it a try.

“It was basically reading off announcements and student news,” Andrews says. “At first it felt terrible, but I eventually got comfortable with it. ‘Good Morning Indiana’ anchor Lauren Casey and I were a year apart at Center Grove, and we were on CGTV together. We enjoy talking about it now. When I was at IU, I majored in telecommunications and social-media journalism. I’m still a newsie and I love to edit video. While at IU, I did sideline reporting for the student Big Ten Network crew and gained live shot experience, which was really important towards getting experience for a job.”

During her senior year at IU, she coached both the basketball and football cheer teams. She learned to drive a school bus so she could drive the girls to away games. She had to give it up when she got her first job at NBC-affiliated channel 2 in Terre Haute.

“I did everything,” Andrews says. “I was a news reporter, and covered city council meetings and local politics. I would work 3 a.m. to noon for a couple days, then do day-side reporting and at night cover high school sports. One day no one was available to do the weather – everyone was sick or something – and the station manager asked if I would cover it. I kept being asked to cover the weather and I began to do it more and more. Before, I never really found myself paying attention to the weather. I had to call my mom and ask, ‘What do people wear when it’s in the 60s?’ Meanwhile, I never thought I’d go into meteorology, but I just loved it.”

When the regular morning weather anchor left the station, Andrews was offered the job. The station had never hired a non-meteorologist before. She found a mentor in channel 2 Chief Meteorologist Jesse Walker.

“Most people who do the weather always knew they wanted to do it,” Andrews says. “I felt I could present and fill in, but I really loved the science and wanted the credentials. Once I got the daily position, I enrolled in Mississippi State. Since I did not have an undergraduate science-based degree, I had to take classes in physics and calculus to get into the graduate program, e.g., Physics – University of California Merced / physics degree. I thought I would just try to take a couple courses at a time, but I ended up taking a full load while working. Jesse really helped when I had questions and made it so much fun. In January 2019, I left Terre Haute for Lexington because they offered to pay for my degree. I couldn’t pass it up.”

While Andrews was away from the area, she stayed connected to home. Her whole family enjoys gaming and she has been playing since she was 4 years old. “Call of Duty” is her favorite game, but she stays in touch with her nephews by playing “Fortnite” with them. In addition, she stays involved with the IU Media School by visiting the campus and giving talks to students.

“Being back in the Indianapolis area is my first job with a meteorologist degree under my belt,” she says. “I love my family, and I love my home teams, Center Grove and IU, so I’m so happy to be back.”