SEATTLE — Thirty-five years ago Monday, Rich Marriott started forecasting the weather at KING 5.
And most of those three decades, he's spent it on the morning news. To celebrate this milestone anniversary, we went deep into the archives to look back at how Marriott started his career.
Before he found his home at KING 5, the longtime meteorologist did not have plans to be on television. He did have his eyes set, however, on Seattle.
Marriott, who grow up in Long Beach, California, told his parents he needed to live in Seattle because he'd always see fronts that brought rain. Rain was scarce in his hometown.
Marriott eventually found his home in Seattle when he enrolled at the University of Washington (UW) for graduate work in Atmospheric Sciences. UW is where he studied avalanches and mountain weather, building the foundation for what would later help him as a meteorologist for KING 5.
Through his work, Marriott met longtime Seatle meteorologist Harry Wappler who encouraged him to try local news. Marriott spent three years working for the Northwest Avalanche Center, which he co-founded, and KING 5 before he was offered a full-time job working weekday mornings.
His on-air debut at KING 5 was in 1987. Marriott has been a staple on the morning broadcasts ever since.
"During my time here, I have had the good fortune to meet amazing people and have unique experiences," Marriott wrote in his KING 5 biography. "Probably my most memorable moments have been flying with the Blue Angels (a lifetime experience) and helping cover the Vancouver Winter Olympics (I still love snow). My one journalistic claim to fame was an Emmy Award for work on our special on Climate Change."