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!

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. […]

Record heat Wednesday with isolated showers and storms

Record heat is in Wednesday’s forecast as high temperatures reach the upper 80s and low 90s again. “Feels like” temperatures will reach the triple digits in a few locations due to ample humidity across the region. Boaters will have another round of pleasant conditions on the water. A light chop in our bays and 1- […]

Record heat, a few evening showers Tuesday

High temperatures will be warmer than we experienced on Monday, with many of us reaching the 90s. Ample humidity will put our “feels like” temperatures into the upper 90s and triple digits during peak heating. Boaters will encounter another day of great water conditions. One- to 2-foot wave heights are expected within the Gulf, with […]

Spooky showers return for your Halloween forecast, Lisa forms in Caribbean

High temperatures will climb into the upper 80s and low 90s under partly cloudy skies. High humidity will still make almost all of us feel like we are in the 90s. Boaters will encounter fantastic conditions on the water. One- to 2-foot Gulf wave heights and a light chop within our bays are expected. Isolated […]

Stray Friday showers with highs reaching the low 90s

High temperatures will reach the upper 80s and low 90s under partly cloudy skies. Our “feels like” temperatures will reach the mid to upper 90s, due to ample humidity. Boaters will encounter 1- to 2-foot Gulf wave heights and a light chop within our bays. Friday will feature a few showers, although most of us […]

Above-average heat Thursday, with a few afternoon showers

High temperatures will reach the upper 80s under partly cloudy skies. Ample humidity will still make the majority of our viewing area “feel like” the 90s during peak heating. Boaters will have fantastic conditions on the water. One to two-foot wave heights are expected, with a light chop within our bays. Low-end rain chances return […]

Mostly dry Wednesday with highs in the upper 80s

High temperatures will climb into the upper 80s and low 90s under partly cloudy skies. “Feels like” temperatures will likely reach the 90s everywhere due to our humidity. Boaters will encounter a light chop within our bays and 1- to 2-foot wave heights in the open waters of the Gulf. Wednesday’s rain chances are low. […]