Ian Leonard

Mainly sunny, partly cloudy, snow, rain or hail….People love to talk about the weather and so does Ian Leonard every night on FOX 9 News.

Ian served as Staff  Meteorologist and later Chief Meteorologist at CFRN in Edmonton, Alberta from 1994 to 2003. From there Ian moved to Waterloo, Iowa to take over as Chief Meteorologist at KWWL-TV in 2003.

Ian graduated from the Broadcast Meteorology Program at Mississippi State University and is a member of the American Meteorological Society, The National Weather Association and The Canadian Meteorological and Oceanographic Society. Ian calls the move to the Twin Cities and FOX 9 News a dream job.

"This area of the country has four diverse seasons and I look forward to forecasting and experiencing them all. The cold and snow of a Minnesota winter, the heat and severe storms of a Minnesota summer, I’m ready to cover everything Mother Nature has to offer.”  

Ian will be hitting the road talking to kids in Metro area schools about his sky aware program and the now famous “water cycle dance” as part of FOX 9 “Weather 101”. In a way it’s what Ian does every night on the FOX 9 news…teaching folks about the weather!

Ian lives in the southwest Metro with his two daughters and his wife, Christy. Christy's family has deep roots in Minneapolis dating back to the 1850s when they arrived from Bavaria and settled in Golden Valley.

Hometown: Edmonton

College: Mississippi State

Joined FOX 9: 2006

Are you on Facebook?: Yes…and Twitter

What’s on your iPod? The world of eclectic music; opera to old school jazz, rap, classic rock and everything 80s.

Most memorable interview or TV moment? 21 Tornadoes in 40 hours…on the air for 12 straight hours, thankfully no one seriously hurt, 2004

Five people (dead or alive) you would most want to have dinner with?  My father, Charles T Cripps, Kevin Murtagh, George Best and my wife

What would the meal be? Steak, corn on the cob and baked potatoes.

Favorite TV shows/Movies? MASH, Slapshot, Stripes and Groundhog Day

Favorite sports team? Iowa Hawkeyes

Biggest pet peeves? When I don’t get enough family time with my wife and daughters

Guilty pleasures? Golf and cigars

Family/pets? My fabulous wife, 2 incredible daughters, one big hairy dog and one very lazy cat