Weatherman is mostly sunny, even in the rain

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KTNV-TV, Channel 13, Action Weather Chief Meteorologist Nathan Tannenbaum is known for his bow ties as well as for his continued service as Southern Nevada's most recognizable weatherman.

As for the bow ties, Tannenbaum says, it's just him. "And I'm hesitant to admit it, but I'm a bow tie snob," Tannenbaum said. "I don't wear clip-ons, only the ones you actually tie."

Tannenbaum said when he moved to Las Vegas in 1989 his agent suggested he wear a bow tie, and he refused. However, after a few years on television, he felt the audience knew him fairly well, and wearing a bow tie wouldn't affect their perception of him. So he began wearing them in 1991 or 1992, he said.

The bow tie made Tannenbaum instantly recognizable as he sat in a coffee shop for his interview. As fans smiled and asked how he was doing, Tannenbaum consistently responded by saying, "Mostly sunny."

"If it's cloudy out, someone will say, 'No, it's cloudy out,' and I say, 'No, I meant my demeanor,' " he said.

Tannenbaum, 48, was raised in Denver and moved with his family to Terre Haute, Ind., when he was in junior high school. He spent junior and senior high school in Indiana.

He got his break on the radio in Terre Haute as a DJ when he was 17 years old. "The chances of that happening in Denver would have been slim," he said. He then ended up moving back to Denver to attend college.

Tannenbaum spent approximately seven years on the radio in Denver while acting on the side, and decided he wanted to try television. His first job in television was in Grand Junction, Colo.

An unusual side job, which he began while he was in Colorado and held onto for a few years, led him to meet his wife, Linda. Tannenbaum smirked at the thought of it, while he carefully kept an eye on his 6-year-old son Guy.

"I was a Tupperware lady," he said. "It was kind of fun and easy, and it is a strategy I still recommend to single men."

Tannenbaum explained that when he was still living in Colorado, his then girlfriend forced him into going to a Tupperware party, and he decided since he was unemployed at the time, it wouldn't be a bad idea to give it a try. "Hang out with a bunch of women in a kitchen, sure I enjoyed it," he said. "And when I moved here I kept doing it because it was fun and relaxing. It got my mind off of work." The fondest memory from his stint as a Tupperware lady, of course, was meeting his wife at a party. "We have been married for 13 glorious years."

Besides reporting the weather Monday through Friday on Channel 13 on various segments running from 4 to 11 p.m., Tannenbaum also writes the daily Nate Cast column on the Las Vegas Review-Journal's weather page. "I try to make it timely and be concise," he said of his short, weather-focused articles. "For example, once the firework stands start popping up, I write something focusing on the fire dangers that go along with them."

Tannenbaum started with Channel 13 in 1989 and left in 1994, only to return in 2000. For the years he could not be seen on Channel 13, he could be seen on Channel 3. "I'm almost a dinosaur here," he said. "A lot of times people aspire to move on and up," which generally means relocating, he said. "When I first came here we were in the 99th sized market by population, and now we are 51st. So actually I moved up quite a bit without moving."

When not on television, or with his family, Tannenbaum often can be found emceeing for numerous charitable causes, such as Goodwill of Southern Nevada, Helping Hands of Vegas Valley and Opportunity Village, just to name a few. He also plays the national anthem on his flute for some races and 51's games. He said he loves being able to give back to the community.

"What can I say, I'm a lucky person," he said.

Tannenbaum also wanted to make clear, the answer is, yes, there is weather in Las Vegas. "Weather in Las Vegas is different, and can be dangerous," he said. "My friends in Denver laughed when I told them I was going to Las Vegas. They said, 'They have weather there?'"

He understands some people think there is nothing to worry about here, weather wise, especially when new to this part of the country, but people need to be careful and familiarize themselves with the conditions. "The wind and the heat are a few things people really have to be careful about," the "mostly sunny" weatherman said.