Born in Hood River, Mark actually spent many years growing up in both Mt. Angel, Oregon and Chehalis, Washington. One thing that impressed Mark as a boy was traveling through the Gorge area. The intense wind and and cold left him fascinated with the weather conditions he observed. After high school, Mark Nelsen went to and graduated from the University of Washington and where he got what he describes as a "B.S. in weather!" After finishing his degree at the "only meteorology school nearby," Mark went to work at a private forecasting company in downtown Portland where he forecasted weather for windsurfers in the Gorge! Spending two years at this company, Mark applied for a job at KOIN 6 in the fall of 1993. Hired on, Mark worked at channel 6 for seven years. Currently, he is the chief meteorologist at FOX 12. When Mark was 23, he met his beautiful wife Sheila in the cookie line at church! Growing up as a preacher's kid, Mark's faith has always been of great importance to him. When Sheila saw Mark in the line, she laughed. "Aren't you the weather guy?" She had only seen him once on TV, and it was just the night before! The rest is history as they say. After three years of dating, Mark and Sheila married in 1997, buying their first house together in Corbett on Knieriem Road. Living there seven years, they moved to their current home in 2004 with their two kids, Andrew age 10 and Ariel, age 9. Loving the great outdoors, Mark likes to spend time in their yard. He recently got back into the poultry business... as a child he raised pigeons, ducks, doves and chickens. Now he has added finishing touches to his own chicken coop/kid's playhouse, placing a window between the two so his kid's can keep an eye on the action! The acreage his family has is nothing short of amazing with vegetables, plants and flowers everywhere! When I comment on this, he proudly says that Sheila makes the best pickles around! Volunteering at the schools once a week and also at the community work days each year, Mark loves Corbett. The only drawback? Maybe the drive home after a long night at work!
