LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – After a more than three-decade career, KARK 4 Chief Meteorologist Keith Monahan is stepping away from the weather wall and into retirement.

Keith started his “dream job” as a TV meteorologist in Cheyenne, Wy., before heading to Michigan, South Dakota, Houston and finally Little Rock.

For nearly 12 years Keith has led the Arkansas Storm Team, covering every kind of weather event imaginable and being cited as having the most accurate forecast for 11 straight years by WeatheRate.

“I’ve got to do amazing things, from coverage of the launch of a new weather satellite from Cape Canaveral, the total solar eclipse in Paducah, the devastation caused by Hurricane Michael and being live from Lake Charles during Hurricane Laura,” Keith told viewers Monday. “I helped keep you safe during the Mayflower/Vilonia tornado, brought you coverage during the historic Arkansas River flooding and helped program thousands of weather radios over the years.”

“Keith has been a KARK staple for more than a decade. His accurate forecasts have been something KARK viewers could always count on, but it is his sense of humor and endless pranks behind the scenes that his KARK family will miss the most,” KARK 4 News Director Ernie Paulson said. “I wish Keith nothing but sunny days ahead. We’re going to miss you, Chief Keith!”

“Keith’s been a mainstay on KARK’s award-winning newscasts for more than a decade. He championed the station’s ‘Most accurate forecast in Arkansas’ as named by WeatheRate for a decade plus,” KARK General Manager Kyle King said. “We will certainly miss his camaraderie throughout our building. We wish him congratulations on retirement, and enjoy that well-deserved time with family and friends.”

Before entering the world of television weathercasting, Keith served his country. After graduating from the United States Air Force Academy in 1984 with a Bachelor of Science degree in International Affairs and American Politics, Keith was a USAF captain serving in counterintelligence and investigative units.

Keith thanked his wife, Leslea, and his daughter, Mikaela, for their support and sacrifices over the years, as well as his partners at KARK 4 and everyone in Arkansas who has trusted him over the years to bring the very best and most accurate weather forecast he could.

Keith’s last day on the air will be April 5.