New warning coordination meteorologist settles in at Caribou NOAA office

15 years ago
By Natalie Bazinet
Staff Writer

    CARIBOU — The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) office in Caribou has recently welcomed their new Warning Coordination Meteorologist, Mike Cantin, to the area.

ImageAroostook Republican photo/Natalie Bazinet
    Mike Cantin settles in for a busy day at the NOAA office in Caribou. He is the new warning coordination meteorologist.

    Cantin has wanted to be a warning coordination meteorologist since he first started with NOAA, and while Caribou wasn’t the only station where he applied to be a warning coordination meteorologist, it was his first choice.
    The warning coordination meteorologist is the liaison between the public and the NOAA National Weather Service Forecast Office, ensuring that people are kept safe and up to date with weather information and providing weather safety.
    “I like working with people and I really feel strongly about the service aspect of what we do,” Cantin said, also stating that while he’s glad to be back in New England, (Cantin is originally from New Hampshire), the opportunity to be a Warning Coordination Meteorologist is what really drew him into the area.
    “I get to work directly with [individuals from various organizations from the Maine Department of Transportation to the Emergency Management Agency], working on projects and sharing information,” he said, stating that for him, it's the hands on of making visible some of the great things that happen at the NOAA office and then making sure that they’re serving the public to their greatest potential, “and that's something that I find very fulfilling,” he added.
    Cantin is looking forward to the NOAA Caribou Office’s first open house on Saturday, Aug. 29, when the general public is invited to come tour the facility.
    “Hopefully it doesn’t pour,” he joked.
    He also encourages any schools or organizations interested in learning more about the agency to contact him.
    Cantin enjoys the communication aspect of his job, communication being one skill he honed in his previous job as a broadcast meteorologist out west. While broadcast meteorology was a successful career for him despite the competitive nature of the field, he found himself drawn to the prospects of working for the National Weather Service.
    Cantin came to Caribou from Florida with his wife, Tanya; his three daughters, Brianna, Ashley and Emma and his newborn son Joshua, who, as of  Aug. 5, was expected to enter this world any day now.
    While Cantin and his family haven’t had much of an opportunity to experience the area yet (with a brand new baby and getting settled after the move), Cantin loves the outdoors and is excited to see some snow again.