ARKANSAS WEATHER WATCHERS: ALWAYS ON THE WATCH FOR YOU! PART:1 FOUNDER AND PRESIDENT, DEREK SMITH

As the founder of Arkansas Weather Watchers and writer of this series I figured I would take the lead and kick off a series that I am VERY EXCITED about as we introduce to you the ones behind the scenes! This round, you get to dive deeper into the why behind me, the founder of it all! 

1) Who you are and where your from?



Most of you know me as the weather guy or storm chaser (now retired thanks to my health) but many know me as Derek, that small town guy from southwest and central Arkansas. I come from a background of dealing with the public being a 5th generation Pastor’s son so being in the public eye has always been a part of my life. It has taken me quite a while to figure out that calling on my life over the years, but one thing I do is give thanks to God for the gift of giving back with my love of helping my great state through Arkansas Weather Watchers

 2)When did your love of weather start? 

My love for weather was a young start. March 1st 1997 I experienced my 1st tornado when a tornado came through parts of downtown Little Rock where my grandparents lived at the time. While they were taking cover with my dad, I was standing in the backyard, amazed at what I was seeing. I could hear the roar, see the wall clouds and debris flying, little did I know this 8 year old imagination would go wild on what I could do. From there the rest is history, throughout elementary, middle and High school I became known as that weather geek. Morning announcements or assemblies I was the one giving today's weather brought to you by Derek, your local science geek. LOL! To most it was funny, to me it was a calling. But that was just the start. 

My dad bought me my first car when I was 16 and well, let's say the rest was history. As soon as I could drive on my own, I went chasing storms. I lost plenty, but when it came to finding them, I found plenty LOL! My biggest driver to where I am now though, would be the evening of April 2014 when a tornado would strike close to where I lived. Ferndale, Mayflower, Vilonia were in the sights of a deadly tornado. Other than 2011, this had been the biggest I chased until March of 2023 when I faced a near EF5 in Rolling Fork, MS the storm that would lead me to walk away and focus on a different aspect of weather. 

From watching my favorites on TV like Ned Perme, Ed Buckner, and Barry Brandt to learning through both schooling at ULM and self motivation to keep learning once my dad got sick, that love of weather only grew stronger. After asking the residents of Mayflower and Vilonia that night what is one thing you wish you had different, and they said an outlet besides news networks, that is when the idea was born. I studied and studied and still do how to present the weather from those mentioned above and also learned how to make graphics through my brother from another Cameron (more on that in a bit) the idea became reality and Arkansas Weather Watchers was born! 

3) What brought you to AWW and what do you love the most about what we do? 

Well, for me it should be obvious what brought me here. My love to keep Arkansas safe and a desire to help my state. Chasing was only part of the equation. I wanted to do more. Little did I know a stroke would pull me out of that field. After what I went through in 2014, I had a desire to do more and with the help of Cameron, my partner in crime, an idea was born in creating something that Arkansas could use as a tool when active weather struck. We had met through a weather group (ironic I know) and both of us wanted the same thing. So with that AWW was born. He learned from me how to grow as a forecaster and business partner, I learned from him how to do graphics and even how to design a website! We were cut from the same cloth just 8 years apart but he will always be my brother through and through because after all, we all bleed the same and he and I are one of a kind. 

One thing about it is, as we continue to grow from social media to now our own streaming platform, camera network and news studio,  I love that we are able to use the gifts that God gave us to be able to do what we do. Each year is something new that we learn but through hard work and dedication it has paid off. I love to be able to help people in this state no matter the weather. If one life is saved then we have done our jobs. Are there times when you want to give up? Sure. We deal with it daily. One thing we will never do though is quit because Arkansas means too much to us and we will continue to produce the best product we can each year. However without the staff behind the scenes each week doing what they do, who you will learn about over the coming weeks, NONE of this would be possible. Without Cameron’s hard work and my dedication to this, AWW would simply not exist. That is what I love about AWW is that we never give up, no matter what is thrown our way. Just like Jesus never gave up on the cross for us, we will never give up on Arkansas. 

4) What would you want someone coming up in this industry to know?

As someone who is mostly self taught, the biggest thing is to never give up no matter how hard it gets or no matter how bad the public can be on your self esteem. Never stop learning, because the weather is always changing and in this era of technology so is how we do things both presentation and forecasting. Go and get that degree if you can, but do not down yourself if you can’t. Look at Cameron and I, we are able to give back to the community in a much larger way. The industry is changing, always know there are options for you to follow your love of weather. Most importantly if you are a believer, trust God with all you got and he will not let you down. 

5)What is one piece of advice you would give new Arkansans about Arkansas Weather.

Coming from someone who has lived in Arkansas their entire life, my biggest piece of advice is always expect the unexpected. Winter produces tornadoes, spring can bring snow. Fall can bring summer and winter in one week and Summer lasts for 8 months out to the year.