LA CROSSE, Wis. (WXOW) – We knew this already but now it is a bit more official: Dan Breeden is a local broadcast legend.
WXOW’s Chief Meteorologist Dan Breeden was named Tuesday as a Local Broadcast Legend by the Wisconsin Broadcasters Association.
He is one of four broadcasters around the state that were named Local Broadcast Legends for 2023.
A name that’s now synonymous with La Crosse weather, Dan joined WXOW in 1986. Since then, he’s done thousands of broadcasts bringing the forecast or severe weather to viewers across Western Wisconsin.
Photo from Feb. 2020 showing Dan Breeden with Heather Armstrong, former News 19 anchor Scott Hackworth, and Scott Emerich.
His work has been credited with saving lives during severe weather, helping people remain calm while providing timely information.
Dan also reaches out to the community by giving his time teaching thousands of children in classrooms around the region about the weather. That education extends to other meteorologists who are often starting out on their own careers.
Born and raised in northern Wisconsin, Dan attended the University of Wisconsin – Madison, where he studied Meteorology. Upon receiving his Bachelor of Science degree in Meteorology in 1981, Dan moved on to Wausau to predict the weather for WSAW as the 10 PM weather anchor before coming to WXOW.
Breeden joins three radio broadcasters as the three 2023 honorees. Doug Erdman works in the Shawano area, Gene Mueller is from Milwaukee, and John Murphy is a long-time broadcaster from Eau Claire.
The four will be honored at the 2023 WBA Summer Conference in Elkhart Lake this June.