Kevin Eubank, chief meteorologist at KSL TV, discussed how faith and optimism have shaped his career.
Born and raised in Bountiful, Utah, Kevin Eubank is the son of Mark Eubank, a now-retired meteorologist.
“I grew up watching my father on television and my whole family talked a lot about the weather,” Kevin Eubank said.
Despite this, he never considered meteorology as a career path. That all changed in an experience he had while serving as missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
“I was serving my mission in Mexico, and there was a flood that happened,” he said. Two little girls playing in a ravine near Kevin Eubank’s area in Chihuahua, Mexico were washed away and killed in the incident, he said.
“I remember asking myself, ‘Why didn’t anybody tell them that the flood was coming?’” Kevin Eubank said. The moment was one of revelation for him, and it clicked: “That’s what meteorologists do; they help people.”
Kevin Eubank wrote a letter to his father asking about the incident, to which his father responded with a package of maps and drawings. Hooked on the study of weather, he went on to graduate from the University of Utah with a degree in meteorology and worked at Channel 2 News before transferring to KSL TV. He was able to work alongside his father for a number of years before his father’s retirement in 2006.
Now, Kevin Eubank works as chief meteorologist at KSL TV, and is a member of the American Meteorological Society and the National Weather Association, according to KSL’s website. He also serves as a stake president for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Kevin Eubank attributed much of his career and success to the lessons he learned while serving as a missionary.
“For me, the mission really shaped my entire life and defined my entire life,” he said. In addition to inspiring him to pursue meteorology, Kevin Eubank credited his mission for teaching him lessons in serving others, the importance of community, authenticity, gratitude for his country and even learning Spanish.
These lessons — and his faith — are an integral part of his career as a meteorologist, he said.
“The author of our weather is our Heavenly Father,” Kevin Eubank said. “I know full well who created the floods, who creates the droughts, who can stop the heavens, who can rain on land that’s dry.”
Concerning global warming and increasing numbers of natural disasters, Kevin Eubank also takes a faith-based approach.
“I believe wholeheartedly that the weather we’re experiencing today has been foretold of for generations by prophets of God,” he said. “These are the days that we are supposed to see these types of events that are supposed to draw the hearts of our people to Heavenly Father.”
While his testimony helps him maintain an eternal perspective, Kevin Eubank also recognizes the heartache behind extreme weather events, he said. While these emotions sometimes come out on camera, he also appreciates the importance of looking forward and staying positive.
“We get tomorrow. And tomorrow, we’re going to pick up the pieces and we’re going to move forward and we’re going to do our very best,” he said. “Communities rally together, people come together, and we work and we rebuild and take the next step.”
This response to natural disasters is also a philosophy for life, Kevin Eubank said.
He paraphrased President Russell M. Nelson’s remarks on “Joy and Spiritual Survival” from the October 2016 General Conference for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. “Who we are and the tone we have in our life, our attitude, has everything to do with how we approach things, not the circumstances,” Kevin Eubank said. “You’ve got to focus on what’s right and what’s coming next versus what’s wrong and what’s happened.”
While Kevin Eubank’s role as meteorologist entails forecasting the weather and alerting communities, he also fulfills a ministering and problem-solving role as a stake president. With his approach to life focused on faith, perseverance, and service, he feels equipped to handle whatever comes next.
“When that call ends, I don’t think I’ll change much at all,” he said. “You enter to learn and leave to serve, right? That’s what we do there.”
No matter his current calling or career title, his relationships with God and his family are what he values most, Kevin Eubank said.
“Happiness comes from within. And as members of the Church, happiness comes when we make and keep covenants,” he said. “So, for me, that’s where I find my most joy: (in) doing the things we’re supposed to do for the people we’re supposed to do them with and for.”