Meteorologist Michael Armstrong is the Field Meteorologist and Executive Weather Producer for KOCO 5 First Alert Weather. When severe weather threatens Oklahomans, Michael leads local coverage from the field in First Alert Storm Command.

Michael is an Oklahoman through and through, born and raised in Ponca City, Oklahoma. His experience with Oklahoma weather began at an early age. He recalls relaying thunderstorm warnings to his family via CB radio long before cell phones were in use. The Armstrong family even had a key to a local public storm shelter because they were often the first to arrive.

From blizzards to severe storms, Michael has experienced the full range of Oklahoma’s weather and earned numerous awards for his role in severe weather coverage, including the National Edward R. Murrow Award, Heartland Emmy, and awards from the Oklahoma Association of Broadcasters and the Society of Professional Journalists. His work has been seen nationally and internationally on NOVA, the Discovery Channel, and The Weather Channel among others.

His meteorology career began in the unforgettable year of 1999 as a storm chaser during the record-setting tornado outbreak on May 3rd. He helped provide Oklahomans warning on four different supercell thunderstorms that produced more than 20 tornadoes. Other memorable storms include the May 2013 Tornado Outbreaks, Tropical Storm Erin in 2007, and the crippling ice storms in 2002 and 2007.

Michael earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Meteorology from the premier severe weather research program in the world, the University of Oklahoma, School of Meteorology. He has also taught meteorology as an instructor at Mid America Christian University, and worked as a forensic meteorologist providing meteorological analysis as an expert witness.

While Michael is passionate about covering Oklahoma’s extreme weather, he also loves the beautiful weather Oklahoma offers in the spring and fall. He lives in Edmond with his wife and their four children.