Alumni

Heidi joined the on-camera Weather World staff in March 2000, but her work with the program dated back to 1998 when she became a mentor and coach to the Campus Weather Service television presenters. While at Penn State, Heidi was a member of the Weather Communications Group. Her work centered around the (then) new television studio and the department's WSI WeatherProducer computers for producing weather graphics. Heidi is originally from Venango County in northwestern Pennsylvania. She received her B.S. in meteorology from Penn State in 1986. Her interest in television weather took her to jobs as a broadcast meteorologist in Wausua, WI, Portland, OR and Dayton, OH. She has served on the American Meteorological Society's Board of TV Broadcasters, and she currently is a member of the Meteorology Alumni of Penn State (MAPS) steering committee. She is also a Centennial Fellow of the College of Earth and Mineral Sciences. In her spare time, Heidi is an orchid grower and a member of the American Orchid society. Growing up on a farm has left her with a love of gardening and growing things. She volunteered at Penn State's Trial gardens and she was a board member of the Centre Hall Area Branch of the Centre County Library. Heidi now lives in central Virginia where she runs her own private weather firm and consults with television stations in nearby Charlottesville. She remains a big fan of Penn State women’s volleyball and frequently returns to the area to visit friends.

Heidi Sonen