Jason Samenow – Chief Meteorologist
A native Washingtonian, Jason Samenow has been a weather enthusiast since age 10 (1987) — the year of the “double whammy” snow storms that shut schools down seven straight days in the D.C. area. Before graduating from high school, he interned for NBC4 chief meteorologist Bob Ryan. At the University of Virginia, he earned a degree in environmental science, focusing in atmospheric science. He went on to earn a master’s degree in atmospheric science at the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 2000. Jason is currently the Washington Post’s weather editor. From 2000 to September 2010, he worked as a climate change analyst for the federal government, monitoring, analyzing and communicating the science of climate change. He founded CapitalWeather.com in early 2004, the first professional weather blog on the Internet which was absorbed by the Post in 2008. Jason is a past chairman of the D.C. Chapter of the American Meteorological Society and a Weather and Society Integrated Studies Fellow. Jason lives with his wife, Deborah, and son, Evan in Washington, D.C.
Dan Stillman – Lead Meteorologist
Weather and Washington are two of Dan Stillman’s greatest passions. The excitement of snow days and two-hour delays are what first got him hooked on tracking lows and highs across the country. After graduating from Walt Whitman High School in Bethesda, Md., he went on to earn a B.S. in atmospheric, oceanic and space sciences from the University of Michigan (and like most Michigan grads is still obsessed with everything Wolverines), and a master’s degree in meteorology from Texas A&M University. He also has a background in journalism and enjoys combining his love for weather with his writing skills. Dan has been published in the Washington Post, Weatherwise Magazine and elsewhere, and served as editor for NBC4 chief meteorologist Bob Ryan’s 2005 Almanac and Guide for the Weatherwise. He is also a Weather and Society Integrated Studies Fellow. Dan lives with his wife, Debbie, and sons, Matthew and Adam, in Rockville, Md.
Jamie Jones – Technology Lead
A 2005 graduate of the University of Virginia’s School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Jamie Jones has been working with Jason on the site since its inception in 2004. As a computer engineering major, Jamie’s concentration was in emerging Internet and Web development technologies, both of which he uses to create new and interesting content for the site. Jamie is currently a Web applications engineer who does Defense Department consulting throughout the D.C. area. As a consultant, he focuses on assisting agencies to better leverage Web-enabled technologies and helps to manage their ever-growing collection of data. Jamie has lived on the Eastern Shore of Virginia, Williamsburg, Charlottesville, and currently resides in Alexandria, Va.
Ian Livingston – Information Lead, Photographer/Forecaster
Ian Livingston (on Twitter) has lived in Washington since early 2006, having moved to the area shortly after graduating from the University of Connecticut. While residing in New England, Ian was trained as a SKYWARN spotter, and his self-education in meteorology has been ongoing since he first witnessed snow at his childhood home in the southern California desert. During college, he created a website focused on forecasting upcoming weather conditions on and around campus. Ian has also co-developed several premier weather discussion forums, the most recent being AmericanWx.com, which replaced the Eastern U.S. Weather Forums (founded ’04) in late 2010. Photography became a natural offshoot of his love for weather, and he has acquired a greater knowledge of both — and how they intersect — while out in the field. In 2010, he wrote, with Kevin Ambrose, “Snowmageddon: Washington’s Record-breaking Winter of 2009-10,” a photographic and meteorological recap of D.C.’s snowiest winter. Ian was drawn to the region by his interest in foreign affairs, current events and politics. He is presently a foreign policy researcher at the Brookings Institution.
TEAM
Kevin Ambrose – Senior Photographer
Kevin Ambrose is the author of “Washington Weather,” “Blizzards and Snowstorms of Washington, D.C.” and “Great Blizzards of New York City.” Ambrose is also a professional photographer and avid storm chaser, specializing in photography of Washington, D.C. area snowstorms, cherry blossoms, sunrises, sunsets, storms and lightning. He holds a B.S. in computer science from the University of Virginia and currently works as an account executive for Adobe. Kevin’s interests include weather forecasting, history, archeology and running. Kevin, his wife Elisa and their two children live in Northern Virginia. His photography and books can be found at his Web site, WashingtonPrints.com.
Blaine Friedlander – Astronomy Writer
Blaine Friedlander, a native Washingtonian, has written the Post’s Sky Watch since Fall 1986. He grew up in Falls Church and graduated from George C. Marshall High School. Also, he attended Northwestern University’s National High School Institute for Journalism, Evanston, Ill., and he graduated with a bachelor’s degree in communication from Ohio University, Athens, Ohio. He was a longtime senior science writer for the Cornell University News Service, and currently serves as assistant director of the Cornell Press Office. He lives in a dark sky location in Ithaca, N.Y.
Justin Grieser – Writer
Justin Grieser is a D.C. area native whose fascination with weather and climate patterns has largely been a self-taught hobby. Born and raised in Alexandria, Va., he received his bachelor’s degree from the University of Virginia with a double major in Linguistics and French. Justin attributes his interest in meteorology to extensive childhood travels throughout Europe and North America, during which he noticed sun angle differences depending on his current latitude. From an early age, he enjoyed escaping D.C.’s oppressive summer heat during family vacations to his mother’s homeland in the Austrian Alps. As a snow enthusiast, Justin was disappointed to miss D.C.’s historic 2009-2010 winter while teaching English in France. Yet he avidly followed the Capital Weather Gang and its extensive coverage of Snowmageddon while living abroad. In addition to his self-taught background in meteorology, Justin has completed coursework on climate systems and severe weather at George Mason University. Fluent in German, French, and several other languages, Justin aspires to combine his passion for both the natural and social sciences in a policy-oriented line of work.
Rick Grow – Writer
Rick Grow grew up southern Maryland and first fell in love with weather during the Blizzard of 96. Whether he was building snow igloos, wreaking havoc as King of the Hill or sledding head-first into frozen creeks, the whole experience sold Rick on the beauty and wonderment of the atmosphere. At Westlake High School in Waldorf, Md., Rick developed a strong interest in writing and volunteered as a sports reporter for The Maryland Independent, a Charles County newspaper. He then attended the Philip Merrill College of Journalism at the University of Maryland, studying there for two years. For a radio broadcasting class assignment, Rick interviewed ABC7 chief meteorologist Doug Hill on his career, and attributes his confidence in pursuing a meteorology degree to the words spoken to him at that interview. Rick later interned at ABC7 under Hill and served as a volunteer at the NWS forecast office serving Greenville/Spartanburg, S.C. while a transfer student at UNC Asheville, where he earned a B.S. in atmospheric sciences. As an operational meteorologist at MDA EarthSat, Rick advised clients in the energy and financial sectors on forecasts for the U.S. and Europe, focusing on both the short and long range. He also assessed weather-related risk for these clients. Rick now combines his interests in weather and writing to author the Free State Weather blog for The Frederick News-Post (and, of course, now writes for the Gang). Currently a communications consultant with a contractor that supports the Department of Veterans Affairs, Rick resides in Frederick.
Jeffrey Halverson – Severe Weather Expert
Jeff grew up in the Mid-Atlantic region and became attuned to the vagaries of our weather and climate at a very early age. He received his Ph.D. in Environmental Science at the University of Virginia in 1994, then assumed a post-doc under Dr. Joanne Simpson at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center. He is currently a Professor at University of Maryland Baltimore County (UMBC) where he teaches courses on Meteorology, Severe Storms and Climate Change. He and his team of graduate students investigate severe storms, particularly hurricanes. Jeff has authored nearly 50 scientific publications and has appeared in science documentaries aired by NOVA, National Geographic and The Discovery Channel. He has been a columnist and assistant editor for Weatherwise Magazine since 2002. Jeff’s favorite type of storm is a hurricane undergoing extratropical transition in the Mid Atlantic…but he also loves a big snowstorm!
Brian Jackson – Meteorologist
Brian grew up in upstate NY and became fascinated with weather at a young age due to the region’s lake snows and seasonal changes. He decided to make meteorology a career and majored in meteorology during college, receiving his B.S. degree in the spring of 2004 from the State University of New York at Oneonta located in central NY. While at Oneonta, he worked at an internship at WORK-13 TV in Rochester, NY putting together forecasts for broadcast. Brian then decided to pursue his education further and enrolled in graduate school at Florida State University and received his M.S. degree in meteorology in August of 2007. He now works at the National Ice Center in Suitland, MD as a snow and sea ice analyst.
Wes Junker – Winter Weather Expert
Wes was born and raised in the Washington metro area. He first became interested in weather before he was 10 years old because of his love of snow. He has degree in physics from Lenoir Rhyne College and attended Penn State as a graduate student in meteorology. He worked for over 30 years as an operational meteorologist mostly at the NWS’s Hydrometeorological Prediction Center. During his career he has written articles and/or given presentations on such diverse topics as forecasting snow, extreme rainfall events, and quantitative precipitation forecasting problems. He is an American Meteorological Society (AMS) Fellow, is a past Chairman of AMS Weather and Forecasting Committee and was President of the National Weather Association (NWA). Mr. Junker has received a number of awards from the National Weather Association (NWA), the AMS, and NOAA, including the NWA Theodore Fujita Research Achievement Award in 2002, and the AMS Award for Exceptional Specific Prediction for his forecast of the record Midwest snowstorm of October 18 and 19, 1989. Since his retirement he has continued his interest in meteorology frequently posting on the American Weather and Forty South Weather discussion forums.
Don Lipman – Writer
As is the case with Matt Ross, Don passed on a formal education in meteorology but nevertheless has had an abiding interest in the weather since the age of about 12. Growing up at the Jersey shore during the active hurricane years of the 1950s, he believes that this may have had an impact on his lifelong fascination with the elements. Upon receiving his bachelor’s degree from New Jersey’s Monmouth University and later, a graduate degree from George Washington University, he began a career with the Intelligence Community, where he served for more than 33 years. Late in his career, he began writing weather columns in community newspapers and, upon retirement, began to do non-technical weather presentations at senior centers, community centers, retirement communities. and eventually, the cruise lines (Celebrity, Princess, and NCL) His power-point talks focus primarily on weather folklore, weather history and, of course, weather humor.
Brian McNoldy – Tropical Weather Expert
Brian McNoldy was born and raised in Reading, Pa., where his interest in weather was sparked at age 7 by the big Nor’easter snowstorm of February 1983, and then further piqued by Hurricane Gloria in September 1985. He earned his B.A. in physics and astronomy from Lycoming College in Williamsport, Pa. in 1998, held an internship at NASA Goddard in Greenbelt, Md. in the summer of 1997, then went on to graduate school where he completed his M.S. in atmospheric science at Colorado State University (CSU) in Fort Collins, Co. in 2001. He spent the next ten years working at CSU’s Department of Atmospheric Science conducting research on a multitude of tropical cyclone topics. Brian has maintained his own blog on tropical Atlantic activity since 1996, and was selected as one of four hurricane experts for the New York Times blog from 2007-2010. In 2012, Brian took a position at the University of Miami’s world-renowned Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science (RSMAS) to continue his career in tropical cyclone research. His website hosted at RSMAS is also quite popular during hurricane season.
Dennis Mersereau – Writer
Dennis Mersereau was born in New Jersey during a massive heat wave, likely predisposing him to an intense interest in the weather. He moved to Virginia at the age of three, where he lived in Woodbridge and graduated from Woodbridge Senior High School in 2009. His love for the weather only grew when storms like Hurricane Isabel, the President’s Day Blizzard of 2003, the June 4, 2008 derecho, and the many tornadoes spawned by Hurricane Ivan’s remnants blasted through the D.C. area. He is currently a senior at the University of South Alabama in the rainiest city in the contiguous United States, Mobile AL, pursuing a major in political science and a minor in meteorology. For the last several years, he has provided weather information for readers at Daily Kos, as well as his followers on Twitter and Facebook.
Kathryn Prociv – Meteorologist
Kathryn Prociv has loved weather since age 6. Like most kids, Kathryn was afraid of thunderstorms until her fear transformed to awe one day when a green funnel cloud screamed over her head while caught outside in a severe thunderstorm. The rest is history, and she has since dedicated her life to the science of meteorology. Kathryn received both her bachelor’s and master’s degrees at Virginia Tech in geography with an emphasis in geospatial technology and meteorology. While a lover of all weather, severe weather is her true passion. A member of the VT Hokie Storm Chasers 2010-2012, her most notable intercept includes the Bowdle, SD EF4 tornado May of 2010. Kathryn recently relocated from Washington, D.C. to Atlanta, GA where she works as a Weather Content Producer for The Weather Channel; at TWC she works closely with the on-air meteorologists in the creating forecast graphics for broadcast and is responsible for producing content for the most breaking weather news. She is a member of the American Meteorological Society and National Weather Association.
Matt Rogers – Meteorologist
Matt Rogers is a meteorologist and Washington D.C. (Columbia Heights) resident. He is President and co-founder of the Commodity Weather Group, LLC, in Bethesda, MD. Matt was previously the Director of Weather for MDA EarthSat Weather in Rockville, MD. For the past fifteen years, Matt has been helping companies manage their weather-related risk, particularly in the energy and financial sectors. He is a frequent speaker at client sites and at conferences where the primary goals are meteorological education along with prognostication of future risk. Matt earned a B.S. degree in meteorology from Penn State University in 1994. He also earned an MBA from George Mason University in 2001. Like most meteorologists, his passion for weather started extremely early in life and has never let go.
David Streit – Meteorologist
David Streit is a 1978 graduate of the University of Nebraska with a Bachelor of Science in Earth and Atmospheric Sciences and a 1981 graduate of the University of Wisconsin with a Master of Science in Meteorology. David’s roles at MDA EarthSat included Manager of Agricultural Weather Services and head of European Energy and Agricultural Services. Prior to MDA EarthSat, David utilized his weather background to develop commodity trading strategies for EF Hutton in New York City beginning in 1981. In 2009, David was one of five co-founders to establish the rapidly-growing Commodity Weather Group (CWG) in Bethesda, MD. CWG provides meteorological consultative support for both energy and agricultural commodity concerns. David has spoken throughout the U.S. and Europe, discussing research topics that analyze the impacts of weather to energy and agricultural commodities. His current endeavors include developing new and innovative medium- and long-range forecasting techniques in order to provide more valuable and unique forecast content to the commodities industry. David also has appeared on Reuters Television and Fox Business Network, providing interviews related to weather impacts to the commodities markets.
Steve Tracton – Meteorologist
Steve recently retired from U.S. Government employment after 34 years of service. His career began immediately after receiving a Ph.D. in Meteorology from MIT as an Assistant Professor at the Naval Postgraduate School (1972-1975). Thereafter, Steve was a research scientist for 31 years at the National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP). A basic theme of his career at NCEP was assessment of data, analysis, and forecast systems with emphasis on physical insight, applications to forecast problems, and realistic appreciation of capabilities and limitations. Perhaps most notably Steve has been recognized nationally and internationally as a principal agent and advocate in development, application, and use of operational ensemble prediction systems and strategies for dealing with forecast uncertainty. From 2002-2006, Steve was a Program Officer for Marine Meteorology at the Office of Naval Research (ONR). He’s currently the chairman of the D.C. Chapter of the American Meteorological Society.
A. Camden Walker – Meteorologist
Even as a youngster, A. Camden Walker found looking upward to be an enthralling experience. He strived to learn all of the cloud types, and eventually earned the Boy Scouts weather merit badge. He also dabbled in nature photography and perused weather almanacs. These days he is drawn toward the sociological side of weather, including how weather affects psychology (psychometeorology). Additional interests include climate change, architecture and sustainability. And of course, he counts himself among the snowlovers. But he’s equally fascinated by tropical cyclogenesis, the development and strengthening of tropical cyclones. Camden has a bachelor’s in atmospheric science from the University of Virginia, and is currently an executive assistant at the American Institute of Architects. Camden previously spent time in Atlanta interning and going through on-air training at The Weather Channel. He has now lived in Northwest D.C. for several years since happily returning to his favorite city. Everything about DC and its locals resonate with him. (He grew up in the area so it feels like home.) And Camden appreciates the city’s perfect positioning on the North American continent, which gives it an exciting mix of mid-latitude weather.
Jack Williams – Writer
In the late 1970s Jack Williams earned a pilot’s license, which triggered his latent interest in weather. At the time he was a copy editor at the Gannett’s Company’s Rochester, N.Y. Democrat and Chronicle. He began studying meteorology at a local college and writing a weekly weather column. In 1981 Gannett asked Williams to work on prototypes for USA TODAY. When the paper began publication in 1982 he was its weather editor. Williams covered not only weather but also reported polar science, including from Antarctica and Greenland. He is the author or co-author of seven books, five on weather, one on the polar regions, and the “The Field Guide to the Water’s Edge,” which National Geographic is publishing in the spring of 2012.
INTERNS
Brendan Richardson
Brendan Richardson grew up in Alexandria, Va. and first became interested in weather after his early childhood experience of the Blizzard of ’96 when he remembers walking through his yard with snow up to his waist. He has always enjoyed winter storms and lately has gained broader interests to include all extreme weather. Brendan recently earned his Bachelor of Science double major degree in Earth Science with a Concentration in Atmospheric Science; and Global and Environmental Change from George Mason University. He frequently posts his opinions of current weather events using various sources of social media including Facebook, Twitter, and Googlesites using the user name BTRWx.
Matt Ross – Seasonal Forecaster
Matt Ross has been interested in weather since early childhood, including a specific fascination with snowstorms and extreme weather events. Although he passed on a career as a meteorologist, his enthusiasm for both weather and statistics, particularly related to the D.C. area’s local climate, continues to strengthen as he gets older. Frustrated with the region’s lack of snow, Matt has been known to chase after the white stuff, including recent trips to northern New England and the Tug Hill region of New York during major snow events. Of particular interest to Matt is the study of analogs, or past weather data as a means of predicting long-range seasonal patterns. Matt owns a legal staffing agency and resides in Mt. Pleasant.