Weatherboy has renewed its sponsorship of Colorado State University’s (CSU) Tropical Meteorology Project located in the Department of Atmospheric Science. The Tropical Meteorology Project is well known for its seasonal outlooks for the annual Atlantic Hurricane Season which stretches from June 1 through to November 30 each year.
The effort is led by Research Scientist Dr. Phil Klotzbach. He received his Ph.D. in Atmospheric Science from CSU in 2007. Klotzbach has been employed in the Department of Atmospheric Science for the past twenty years and was co-author on the Atlantic basin hurricane forecasts with Dr. William Gray through 2005. He became first author on the seasonal hurricane forecasts in 2006. The Tropical Meteorology Project team also includes Michael Bell, Associate Professor in the CSU Department of Atmospheric Science, and Jhordanne Jones, graduate research assistant in the same department. Dr. William Gray originated the seasonal forecasts and launched the report in 1984 and continued to author them until his death in 2016.
“We’re delighted to have Weatherboy return again as a sponsor this season. We’re also thankful for the additional venues Weatherboy provides to get the word out about our forecasts and hurricane safety information in general,” Dr. Klotzbach said. Weatherboy joins the Insurance Information Institute, Interstate Restoration, and Ironshore as project sponsors this year. The G. Unger Vetlesen Foundation also provided a grant to fund this year’s report.
Weatherboy, a brand owned by New Jersey-based isarithm LLC, is anchored by a cartoon avatar depicted in various situations with the weather. Beyond broadcast channels, Weatherboy content is produced on its website, weatherboy.com, and promoted through social channels on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. In its 25+ year history, the Weatherboy brand has brought weather news, forecasts, and information to wide audiences, including a specific focus on younger children, parents, and educators.
Content that appears on Weatherboy.com and in social channels is developed by a team of college-educated, professional meteorologists. Members of this team have traveled the world to bring weather and earth science news to its audience. All public-facing members of the Weatherboy team hold membership in both the American Meteorological Society and the National Weather Association.
During the 2020 Hurricane Season, even with the challenges of the ongoing global pandemic, Weatherboy deployed meteorologists around the country for hurricane coverage. As an example, as Hurricane Douglas neared Hawaii, Weatherboy used FacebookLive to host interactive Question and Answer sessions from Hilo and Hapuna Beach on the Big Island of Hawaii. While one meteorologist covered the Hawaii threat, another was in Florida bringing video from the Sunshine State’s run-in with tropical cyclones, include Eta in the Florida Keys.
Dr. Klotzbach is scheduled to unveil the initial outlook for the 2021 Atlantic season at the 2021 National Tropical Weather Conference on Thursday, April 8, at 10 am ET .
