Emily Sutton: Motherhood & Mother Nature

“You may think storms are not that dangerous, but some can spawn killer tornadoes,” a young Emily Sutton explained in her fifth-grade report on tornado safety. It was a natural choice of topic since her earliest memories include watching storms roll in with her dad outside of their Chicago home.

While it seems her career was written in the stars, Emily says it didn’t occur to her until college.

“It seems obvious but it didn’t cross my mind. I didn’t see many females doing the weather growing up,” she said. “I’m an extrovert, and I’ve always enjoyed the arts so I decided to study communication.”

She chose meteorology as an elective at the University of Missouri. That’s when Emily says the interest turned into an obsession. She added meteorology as a minor so she could join the storm chase team and ultimately graduated with two degrees, one in meteorology and the other in journalism.

“One time I was supposed to sing the national anthem for ‘Greek Week’, but I had to miss it because I was ‘under the weather’,” she said. This technically true statement led Emily to her first storm chase.

“During my second storm chase, I saw five tornadoes,” Emily said, “and if you slow down the footage, you can see a KFOR vehicle in the background. I didn’t know then of course, but it was also my future husband’s birthday.” Fast-forward almost two decades, Emily is one of Oklahoma’s most trusted meteorologists, as well as a wife and new mother.

Though it fits, she doesn’t like the title “Oklahoma celebrity.” Emily says she is simply grateful to be a face and voice Oklahomans can look to in a storm.

“Especially in Oklahoma, people rely on the weather department for lifesaving information,” Emily said. “I get to provide guidance in scary situations, and I am so grateful God gave me this path.”

With the addition of her daughter Ginny, Emily’s career isn’t the only thing on her radar.

“Now that I have my miracle baby, my goal is to be present. Last year was about surrendering control of my life to God, and this year it’s about enjoying every second with my little girl.”

Emily’s transparent experience with endometriosis has inspired many. Not only did it cause her great physical pain, it also was emotionally taxing as Emily and her husband struggled to conceive. “The cycle of hope and disappointment can be very isolating,” Emily said.

She continued to seek solutions to her situation. With the right combination of medical expertise and intervention, and an impressive amount of personal resilience, Emily’s symptoms are under control and her “miracle baby” arrived in November of last year.

“To anyone living with endometriosis or experiencing infertility, you are not alone,” Emily said. “My advice is to do your research. Get a first, second, third opinion, if needed. You know your body. Secondly, know your limits. Have an honest conversation with your partner, and come up with a plan before you even get started.”

In motherhood and meteorology, anything can happen. So Emily’s last piece of advice is to prioritize mental health (and keep an eye on the forecast). Keep up with the multi-talented meteorologist on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook @emilyrsutton or watch her live on Channel 4.