Former News 12 meteorologist Britta Merwin anchoring Fox's new weather streaming service

When the streaming service Fox Weather debuts on Monday, one of its meteorologist anchors will be a former News 12 Long Island forecaster who received her atmospheric-science degree from Stony Brook University.

"I came to Stony Brook for the meteorology program — they have a great atmospheric-science department," says Britta Merwin, 37, who was born in San Antonio, Texas, and raised around the country as her father, a now-retired U.S. Air Force colonel, moved to different postings.

"One of the things that really drew me to the program is that it was smaller program in comparison to … these large schools that are known for meteorology," says Merwin, a parent of three children with husband Kevin Maloney. "It's a very challenging degree — you're going through four years of calculus and four years of applied physics. And I am someone that definitely struggles with mathematics — I knew the calculus portion was going to be a challenge for me. So I specifically targeted Stony Brook because I knew that I could get that one-on-one instruction that I needed to be successful."

After graduating in December 2006, Merwin began working at the short-lived cable network NBC Weather Plus. She later freelanced at News 12 New Jersey and News 12 Long Island, where she filled in for meteorologist Rich Hoffman for six weeks during his recuperation from surgery, she recalls. Merwin most recently spent seven years at KPRC-TV in Houston.

Fox Weather launches with Merwin and Jason Frazer, who grew up in Ozone Park, Queens, as lead anchors.

The 24-hour, ad-supported streaming service operated by Fox News Media will have a team of more than 120 meteorologists, according to a news release from the platform.