Nicole Mitchell (meteorologist)

Nicole Lynn Mitchell (born October 10, 1974) is an American politician, military officer, and meteorologist. She represents the cities of Woodbury and Maplewood in the Minnesota Senate. Mitchell is also a Lieutenant Colonel in the Air National Guard, commanding the 126th Weather Flight.

Prior to serving in public office, Mitchell was a news media meteorologist. She worked at the Weather Channel from 2004 to 2011 and with Al Jazeera America from 2013 to 2016. After some time as a freelance meteorologist at CBS News (working at WCBS-TV in New York City and WFOR-TV in Miami), she returned to her home state of Minnesota in 2017 to become a meteorologist for KSTP-TV in the Minneapolis–Saint Paul media market. She also appeared on Minnesota Public Radio.

In 2022, she was elected to the Minnesota Legislature as a state senator for District 47. In 2024, Mitchell was charged with felony burglary. A Senate ethics panel inquiry was convened to address the incident. Mitchell stated that she would not resign and continued to cast a tie-breaking vote in the 2024 legislative session.

Early life
Mitchell was born in Fargo, North Dakota. Her family later moved to Woodbury, Minnesota, where she graduated from Woodbury High School in 1992. She is an alumna of the University of Minnesota.

Military career
Mitchell served in the U.S. Air Force Reserve and assigned to the 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron at Keesler Air Force Base, Mississippi, as an aerial reconnaissance weather officer. Mitchell is a Lieutenant Colonel in the Air National Guard, commanding the 126th Weather Flight.

The Weather Channel
Mitchell began working with the Weather Channel in 2004. She co-anchored the channel's morning show, Your Weather Today, from 2004 to 2008. She then moved to co-host of Evening Edition alongside Paul Goodloe from 2008 to 2010.

The Weather Channel terminated Mitchell in 2011. She filed a lawsuit against the channel in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Georgia in 2011, alleging that she had been terminated because the new owners disapproved of the time required by her simultaneous duties as a captain in the Air Force Reserve Command as part of the "Hurricane Hunters" team.

Al Jazeera America
In 2013, Mitchell began work on the weather team at Al Jazeera America. Mitchell delivered the weather segments in the morning from 7:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. Eastern Time and during large weather events. She was the chief meteorologist of the channel until it ceased operation on April 12, 2016.

CBS News
Beginning Spring 2016, Mitchell freelanced with CBS News, appearing on WCBS-TV in New York City, along with contributions to the national network CBS This Morning show. She also traveled south to Miami, filling in for Lissette Gonzalez at WFOR-TV while she was on maternity leave.

KSTP-TV Minneapolis-Saint Paul
Mitchell returned to her home state of Minnesota to join the Minneapolis-Saint Paul station KSTP-TV in 2017. She appeared on a variety of KSTP newscasts as a freelance meteorologist.

Minnesota Public Radio
Mitchell appeared on the Minnesota Public Radio (MPR) show Morning Edition from November 2019 to January 2022, in the role of meteorologist alongside anchor Cathy Wurzer. On January 7, 2022, she announced on Twitter that she was leaving MPR to explore a candidacy for the Minnesota Senate.

Political career
Mitchell ran as the Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party candidate for District 47 in the 2022 Minnesota Senate election. She defeated Republican candidate Dwight Dorau by winning 58.1 percent of the vote to 41.2 percent. Mitchell represents the cities of Woodbury and Maplewood.

Personal life
Mitchell has volunteered with Big Brothers Big Sisters of America and as a Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) for abused and neglected children. She is a licensed foster care provider. She received her Juris Doctor degree from the Georgia State University College of Law in 2010. As a member of the Minnesota Bar, Mitchell has volunteered with "Wills For Heroes" to provide free legal services for first responders.

Arrest
On April 22, 2024, Mitchell was arrested at 4:45 a.m. in Detroit Lakes, Minnesota, by police who were responding to a burglary call. The following day she was charged with first-degree burglary. According to the charging documents, Mitchell allegedly entered her stepmother's home in an attempt to retrieve several items. Mitchell claimed that she was only interested in things that were of "sentimental value" to her, which included the ashes of her late father. Mitchell's stepmother disputed Mitchell's claims and stated that she was fearful of Mitchell.

Mitchell holds a tie-breaking vote in the Minnesota Senate, posing a dilemma for fellow Democrats. Senate Democrats stripped Mitchell of committee assignments but have not expressed support for her resignation. State DFL chairman Ken Martin stated that he would like for Mitchell to resign by June 8, allowing her seat to be filled in a special election. Mitchell stated that she would not resign and continued to vote in the 2024 legislative session.

Mitchell was subjected to a Senate ethics inquiry on May 7. The committee declined to take any actions until after Mitchell's court court appearance on June 10. The following week, Republicans in the Minnesota State Senate introduced a motion to expel Mitchell, but the motion failed with Mitchell providing the tie-breaking vote.