CliMAS at UIUC

CliMAS is proud to partner with Illinois Public Media to create a new podcast called Weather Realness - we’ll get real about the what’s and why’s about weather and climate and how it impacts you.

Our first episode airs on WILL-AM 580 at 11 am this Saturday, August 2 and anytime on the WILL app.

A final look from above | Department of Climate, Meteorology & Atmospheric Sciences | Illinois As Larry Di Girolamo stood at Vandenberg Air Force Base in December 1999, he was a relatively new professor in what would become the Department of Climate, Meteorology, &

25 years ago, Larry Di Girolamo watched a satellite launch carrying the MISR Instrument that he had helped build. Now, MISR is ending with a discovery that could change how we understand global weather: the jet stream is shifting and speeding up.
Link: climas.illinois.edu/news/2025-07...

Knowing The Difference Between These 3 Types Of Emergency Alerts Could Save Your Life When you get this alert, it means "trouble will find you," one meteorologist said.

Incoming Assistant Professor @latinwx.bsky.social quoted in this article discussing weather risk and resilience in light of the Texas floods

www.huffpost.com/entry/flood-...

Our second storm trip is back from the Plains and they saw the goods!

Hear their storm observation stories in 1071 NHB on Friday, June 27 at 9:30 am

Danny measures outflow wind speeds using a handheld anemometer

Students standing in front of a shelf cloud

Students photographing a storm

Supercell thunderstorm near sunset

Today our undergrads measured outflow wind speeds and observed both a squall line and discrete supercell along the Texas-Oklahoma border! Tomorrow marks the final day of our May field course, then it's back home to Urbana 🏠

Image of a wall cloud and blowing dust

Students and their fearless leader, Kevin, watching a storm

Yesterday marked the halfway point for our May Field Studies of Convection course! Students observed a tornado-warned supercell (and lots of blowing dust) south of Brownfield, TX.

UIUC undergraduate students stand in front of a supercell at sunset

Today marked the beginning of our Field Studies of Convection course! Our undergraduate students traveled from Urbana to Colorado where they observed a supercell at sunset as well as a brief tornado

CliMAS congratulates the Class of 2025!

The UIUC School of Earth, Society and the Environment (SESE) is hosting our annual summer enrichment camp for middle schoolers again this summer! The dates are July 21st and 22nd and the camp is free!

Registration is now open and you can sign up here: earth.illinois.edu/resources/ea...

The UIUC School of Earth, Society and the Environment (SESE) is hosting our annual summer enrichment camp for middle schoolers again this summer! The dates are July 21st and 22nd and the camp is free!

Registration is now open and you can sign up here: earth.illinois.edu/resources/ea...

Shiv Priyam Raghuraman receives award for work on short-term climate variability | Department of Climate, Meteorology & Atmospheric Sciences | Illinois In 2023, global temperatures spiked in a way that puzzled scientists, sparked headlines, and led many people to wonder whether the climate was entering an unpredictable new phase. The spike stood out ...

Congratulations to assistant professor @rshivpriyam.bsky.social on receiving the prestigious 2024 ACP Paul Crutzen Publication Award! His award-winning paper focuses on short-term climate variability.

Read more: climas.illinois.edu/news/2025-05...

Good morning from Morris, Illinois! Students and faculty are supporting Intensive Observing Period #1 of the CROCUS Urban Flooding Campaign.

We celebrated excellence this week in CliMAS during our annual Yoshi Ogura Banquet.

Undergraduate and Graduate Student and Faculty honors were followed by a lecture by former Illinois State Climatologist Jim Angel.

📸 CliMAS Major Alyssa Shih

Today, we welcomed Prof. Adam Sobel from Columbia University as our Distinguished Ogura Lecturer. He spoke on climate risk science.

Congratulations to Kaitlyn Jesmonth (@wxkaitlynj.bsky.social) on the successful completion of her MS Defense, which examined the effects of terrain on precipitation type in a Northeast US winter storm. Kaitlyn is advised by Prof. Steve Nesbitt (@70dbz.bsky.social).

We’re excited to share that Dr. Joseph Trujillo-Falcón will join our regular faculty as an Assistant Professor in Fall 2025! He’ll continue his work on effective risk communication in weather and climate.

Congratulations to two of our undergraduates who were awarded and honored in the recent National Science Foundation (NSF) Graduate Research Fellowship competition!

‘Getting Heavier’: Climate Change Primes Storms to Drop More Rain With rising temperatures, the atmosphere can hold more moisture, meaning precipitation has a tendency to fall at more extreme levels.

“When we have these very heavy rain events, the trends have been pointing toward those heavy events getting heavier,” said Deanna Hence, an associate professor of Climate, Meteorology & Atmospheric Sciences at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. www.nytimes.com/2025/04/08/c...

Final plot from our 21:30z sonde launch.

Some decent 0-1 km shear.

Plot courtesy @ewolffwx.bsky.social

Alyssa Shih, junior in CliMAS, was awarded a Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship. She was one of 4 selected campus wide and one of less than 500 nationwide.

Big congratulations to her!

What was with the weird wavy clouds over Illinois this week? Some clouds over Illinois earlier this week were wonky and wavelike — reminiscent of the ocean.

Graduate Student Kaitlyn Jesmonth (@wxkaitlynj.bsky.social) was interviewed in the Washington Post about some clouds she observed in Champaign www.washingtonpost.com/weather/2025...

From @stormchasernick.bsky.social

NWS LINCOLN IL:

If KILX radar goes down they have no ET/ESA to fix it due to hiring freeze and job cuts.

~ A meteorologist there.

An Open Letter to Our Fellow Meteorologists and Climate Scientists 28 February 2025 Dear Friends and Colleagues, The news of layoffs at NOAA and other federal agencies has been tough to hear, and I know many of us here in CliMAS are feeling the weight of it. NOAA’s work is at the heart of what we do as meteorologists and climate scientists, and it’s hard to see talented, dedicated people facing uncertainty. Earth scientists are some of the most dedicated people to their profession you’ll find. Many have dreamed of their careers since they were young, like me, and now those dreams and aspirations have been jarred. I know this is a difficult time, but the weather and climate enterprise is close-knit, strong and supportive. Whether in government, private industry, or academia, we are all connected, and we stand with you. If you need advice, networking opportunities, or just someone to talk to, please don’t hesitate to reach out us. For those in a position to help, let’s do what we can to support our colleagues, whether it be sharing job leads, offering recommendations, or simply reminding them that their work matters. To everyone at NOAA, past and present, thank you for everything you’ve done. Your work has made a real difference—saving lives, advancing science, and helping people understand the world around them. You should be proud of your accomplishments and we recognize all of the hard work you do to make our nation and our world a safer place. We value your work, and we in CliMAS are here with you as you take the next steps forward. With respect and support, Stephen W. Nesbitt Professor and Head

An open letter to our fellow meteorologists and climate scientists from our Department Head, Steve Nesbitt

Prof. Jeff Frame discusses the importance of the National Weather Service and impacts of potential cuts www.wcia.com/news/champai...

‘My major built a solid foundation of scientific expertise, research’ Annareli Morales is an air quality policy analyst for Weld County Depar

Q&A with one of our alums: Dr. Annareli Morales las.illinois.edu/news/2025-02...

Today, we welcomed Christina McCluskey from NSF NCAR, who talked about her research on improving our understanding of ice nucleation in mixed phase clouds

Global Warming Could Be Making It Less Windy in Europe (Bloomberg) -- Global warming is driving down wind speeds during European summers, putting additional stress on the region’s energy systems as soaring temperatures boost cooling demand, new research s...

Research by CliMAS Asst. Prof. Gan Zhang reveals potential "stilling" over Europe that could impact wind energy generation finance.yahoo.com/news/global-...

We’ve got a good crowd at the #ams2025 Career Fair. Come by and say hi to the block I!

CliMAS Reception at #ams2025:

Tuesday, January 14, 2025 7:00-9:00 p.m.
Hilton New Orleans Riverside, St. Charles Room (3rd Floor)
2 Poydras Street, New Orleans, LA 70130

Come meet with faculty, students, and your fellow alumni!