A popular veteran meteorologist for a local news outlet is battling stage 4 cancer.
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Kent Boughton, chief forecaster for News Channel Nebraska, announced his aggressive cancer diagnosis in a video on his Facebook page on March 20. He revealed that three weeks prior, he had received news of his “own inside tornado.”
“After some tests and a lot of uncertainty, I was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer,” the 68-year-old explained in the video. “It’s small cell carcinoma that has spread throughout my body.”
Boughton’s diagnosis came after doctors investigated a rasp in his voice. They discovered a tumor in his lung had grown against his tonsil, paralyzing it.
“If that hadn’t happened, I wouldn’t have known I had cancer,” the local news legend explained. “I spent my entire career telling you about storms, trying to save your lives, for crying out loud… Now I’m facing my own storm, my own inside tornado, if you will.”
Local News Favorite Kent Boughton Asks for Prayers Following Cancer Diagnosis
Although the road to recovery won’t be easy, Boughton thanked his family, friends, and colleagues for their support.
“I don’t need anything from any of you except your prayers. I do ask for that, and I appreciate every single one,” Boughton said. “Your kindness, your prayers, your messages, they all mean everything. It’s tough… I’m going to fight to the end.”
“There is no barcode anywhere on my body that gives me an expiration date,” he added. “That’s pretty much true for all of us. We could all get run over by a car tomorrow. So I’m gonna be here… I’m gonna go as far as I can.”
Boughton revealed he has already completed one round of chemotherapy and is scheduled for another soon. Despite the treatment, the local news personality said he plans to continue forecasting for News Channel Nebraska.
Boughton began his career over five decades ago as a radio announcer at KRGI in Grand Island. He transitioned to weather in 1977 at KIFI-TV in Idaho Falls before moving to KHAS-TV in Hastings, where he worked for 12 years. In 1999, Boughton joined NTV in Kearney, staying for over two decades. He was inducted into the Nebraska Broadcasters Association Hall of Fame in 2024.