A Minnesota meteorologist is being dragged by viewers over his “unprofessional” behavior when he texted his wife live on air during severe weather coverage.
KTTC News Chief Meteorologist Nick Jansen was three hours into his reporting on storms walloping the Rochester, Minn., region on July 28, when he was caught using his phone to make sure his family — including his 6-month-old child — found shelter.
“I received an email telling me how unprofessional I was during my coverage. The quote that really struck me: “That he has to call his wife to make sure she takes the baby to safety? Maybe some people think it’s noble or cute. I don’t,’” Jansen wrote on Facebook with the now-viral video of the 10-second clip.

KTTC Chief Meteorologist Nick Jansen texts his wife, checking on their 6-month-old child during a severe weather report on July 28, 2025.KTTC
The caught-on-camera moment happened when Jansen was in the studio, standing in front of the radar screen, waiting for news director Zach Fuller to wrap up a power outage update.
Jansen, 32, was captured on video looking down at his phone, seemingly unaware he was on live TV.
https://web.facebook.com/v2.3/plugins/video.php?allowfullscreen=true&app_id=249643311490&channel=https%3A%2F%2Fstaticxx.facebook.com%2Fx%2Fconnect%2Fxd_arbiter%2F%3Fversion%3D46%23cb%3Df360b845162039147%26domain%3Dnypost.com%26is_canvas%3Dfalse%26origin%3Dhttps%253A%252F%252Fnypost.com%252Ffac9c448470f0f0b5%26relation%3Dparent.parent&container_width=734&href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Fwxjansen%2Fvideos%2F1098140561643994&locale=en_US&sdk=joey
He managed to get the text off before the report was sent back to him.
“Sorry, just had to text my wife, baby was sleeping well tonight so that’s gonna be over with at this point in time,” Jansen said as he resumed his weather reporting duties.
Jansen placed his phone down seconds before the report was sent back to him in the studio.KTTC
The chief meteorologist and family man estimated strong winds in the Rochester area could reach between 40 to 70 mph.
Jansen defended his actions amid the viewer’s backlash, saying he was looking out for his family while he had a brief moment off-camera during the broadcast.
“I take my job and your safety very seriously. But I’m also a husband and a father,” Jansen responded to the viewer. “In the middle of severe weather, I decided to take a brief moment to make sure my wife and child were safely in the basement.