LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) — A former Channel 8 forecaster has died.
Kent Boughton passed away on Sunday after a brief battle with cancer. He first announced his diagnosis in March.
Kent spent the majority of his career broadcasting the weather, mostly in central Nebraska.
He began his career as a disc jocky at KRGI in Grand Island at the age of 15. After graduating from Brown Institute in 1977, Kent began his TV career as sports and weather director at KIFI-TV in Idaho Falls, Idaho. He returned to Nebraska to become the weather director at KHAS-TV in Hastings.
Courtesy: Kent Boughton
He would leave broadcasting for a few years to see his kids grow up after a 12-year career at KHAS-TV. He returned as the chief forecaster at KHGI-TV in Kearney in 1999.
He retired in 2023 from KHGI before returning in 2024 to serve as a part-time forecaster at KLKN-TV. He then joined the News Channel Nebraska team.
Kent was inducted into the Nebraska Broadcaster’s Association Hall of Fame in 2024.
A defining moment of Kent’s career at KHGI was his live coverage during the June 3, 1980 tornado that devastated the Grand Island area.
His family said in a statement on Facebook, “With profound sadness, we share that Kent died peacefully today surrounded by the love of his family. Broadcasting the weather was his lifeline, and he was deeply grateful for the community that welcome him into their homes for so many years.”
