Ashton joined the First Alert Weather Team in the summer of 2016 after working at WFAA-TV in Dallas. Prior to his time in Texas, he spent seven years at 9NEWS in Denver. He always knew he would eventually return to Colorado because of unique challenges that come with forecasting Front Range weather.

Ashton studied Meteorology and Broadcasting at Central Michigan University where he earned his undergraduate degree in 2002. He then moved to rural Mississippi and received a Master's of Science in Geosciences from Mississippi State University in 2004. While in college, he worked at WLNS-TV in Lansing, Michigan and WCBI-TV in Columbus, Mississippi. He has also worked at television stations in Des Moines and Sacramento.

Originally from New Jersey, Ashton spent most of his time growing up in Michigan where he competed at the state level in Cross Country and Track and also became an Eagle Scout. He continues to be active in scouting and Ashton credits his passion for weather to earning the weather merit badge when he was 12 years old. An unforgettable encounter with a nearby tornado while on a camping trip the same year sealed his interest in the subject.