UGA grad Wx Challenge Champ

UGA graduate Jordan McLeod recently took home top prize in the 2014-2015 WxChallenge, an annual national collegiate weather forecasting competition:

McLeod, who was earning his master's degree at UGA when the forecasting competition began in fall 2014, beat out nearly 2,000 participants ranging from undergraduates to tenured professors from over 100 colleges and universities.

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To compete, participants forecasted the weather conditions-daily maximum and minimum temperature, daily maximum sustained wind speed, daily precipitation total-for 10 selected cities across the U.S. Participants forecasted each city for two weeks and then submitted each city's forecast on the WxChallenge website.

The competitors with the top 64 cumulative scores at the end of the fall and spring semesters were then placed in a four-week forecasting tournament structured similarly to the NCAA basketball finals. McLeod began this year's tournament as a No. 7 seed and won every round to win the entire tournament.

"There is always something special about ‘winning it all.' That's exactly what Jordan did this year," said [John] Knox, an associate professor who serves as the team manager. "It is one more sign that UGA has one of the up-and-coming atmospheric sciences programs in the nation."

Wow. Our atmospheric sciences program in the department of geography truly knows no bounds in preparing students to reach for outstanding acheivements. As Professor Knox said, contests inspire people to excel, and that includes in academics. Congratulations to McLeod, Knox and all of the UGA particpants - your distinguished performances and preparation honor us all.