Juliana Mejia joined the WINK News team as a Bilingual Meteorologist in June of 2022. She grew up in the Chicagoland area and graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Meteorology from the University of Oklahoma.

While still in college, during the summer leading into her senior year, she worked part-time as an on-air meteorologist for KCCI Des Moines, IA.

For her senior capstone research project, she and her collaborators studied the psychological attunement and understanding of extreme weather of the Hispanic/Latinx communities in the United States. They successfully expanded the scope of their research beyond the class project, obtaining two significant research grants to conduct paid surveys of over 1000 Spanish speakers nationwide. This research is her passion project as it is the crossroads of her personal and professional goals of improving weather communication for one of the fastest-growing populations in the country.

Their research was accepted for presentation at the American Meteorological Society (AMS) 49th Conference on Broadcast Meteorology/Sixth Conference on Weather Warnings and Communication in June of 2022.

Being one of the few minority students in her class in the School of Meteorology, Juliana hopes to inspire young students and see more minorities in STEM and meteorology in the future.

Her other interests include staying active by working out, spending time outdoors, rock-climbing, singing, playing ukulele or piano, reading, watercolor painting, and traveling!

Warmer weather Tuesday under mostly sunny skies

High temperatures will reach the upper 80s and low 90s across Southwest Florida. Humidity will be slightly higher, making our “feels like” temperatures climb into the 90s across much of the region. Boaters will experience light chop within our bays and 1- to 2-foot wave heights in the open Gulf waters. Tuesday will not feature […]

Monday brings above-average heat, less humidity

High temperatures will climb into the low to mid-80s under partly cloudy skies. The air will feel noticeably drier and more pleasant throughout the day, thanks to winds out of the northeast. Boaters will encounter light chop in our bays and only 1- to 2-foot Gulf wave heights. A few showers are in Monday’s forecast. […]

Breezy Friday with above-average heat following Nicole

Highs will reach the low to upper 80s under partly cloudy skies. Winds will sometimes feel breezy, but nowhere near what we experienced Thursday. Waters will not be favorable for boating. Expect 3- to 5-foot Gulf wave heights and choppy conditions within our bays. Isolated rain is in Friday’s forecast. A few stray showers and […]

Nicole brings rainy, windy Thursday to Southwest Florida

High temperatures will reach the upper 70s and low 80s under mostly cloudy skies. Nicole will bring gusty winds and heavy rain to Southwest Florida, especially in the morning. Gulf wave heights are expected to reach 6 to 9 feet, with very rough conditions expected within our bays. Rain chances will persist all morning and […]

Rain, gusty winds arrive Wednesday ahead of Nicole

High temperatures will reach the upper 70s and low 80s under mostly cloudy skies. Conditions will continue to deteriorate as Nicole approaches Florida’s east coast. Four- to 8-foot Gulf wave heights and rough chop within our bays are expected. Gusty winds will persist all morning, afternoon and evening. These strong winds will be especially strong […]

Hot, windy Tuesday forecast

High temperatures will reach the upper 80s and low 90s under partly cloudy skies. Boaters will encounter 2- to 4-foot Gulf wave heights and choppy conditions within our bays. Sustained winds of 15 to 25 mph are in Tuesday’s forecast. A few showers are expected after lunchtime. These will persist into tonight thanks to Subtropical […]

Breezy, hot, humid Monday

High temperatures will reach the upper 80s and low 90s under partly cloudy skies. High humidity will still make it feel like we are in the upper 90s during peak heating. Boaters will encounter 2- to 4-foot Gulf wave heights and choppy conditions within our bays. Sustained winds of 10 to 20 mph are in […]

Tropical Storm Nicole weakens as it approaches Tampa Bay area

The Weather Authority is currently tracking Tropical Storm Nicole. Nicole made landfall as a Category 1 hurricane at 3 a.m. on Hutchinson Island (just south of Vero Beach). By the 10 a.m. advisory, its maximum wind speed had dropped significantly to 50 mph. While primary impacts are being felt on the east coast of Florida, […]

Above-average heat, stray showers Friday; monitoring the tropics

High temperatures will reach the upper 80s and low 90s under partly cloudy skies. A noticeable drop in humidity will make conditions feel pleasant in the late afternoon and evening. Boaters will encounter less favorable conditions than what they had previously experienced throughout the week: A moderate chop within our bays and 1- to 2-foot […]

Near-record heat Thursday, a few evening showers

High temperatures will reach the upper 80s and low 90s under partly cloudy skies. Ample humidity will still have the majority of Southwest Florida experiencing afternoon heat index values in the 90s. Boaters will find pleasant conditions on the water. One- to 2-foot Gulf wave heights and a light chop are expected within our bays. […]