Weather Update

Are you interested in weather broadcasting? Join the UND Weather Update for hands-on experience!

Weather Update is the hub for weather and climate communication at UND. Open to all interested students, the group produces daily weather broadcasts for Grand Forks and the surrounding area from the Aerospace Network Studio in Ryan Hall. New in 2025 is an expanding range of digital content, including a more diverse social media presence, educational weather and climate videos, written forecasts and blogs, and more. With different ways to get involved, UND Weather Update is a perfect place for students to hone their communication skills, including public speaking, graphic design, and concise storytelling, while applying knowledge gained in the classroom to real-time weather. The group will meet regularly starting in Spring 2025, including professional development workshops with AMS-certified broadcast and digital meteorologists, connecting students with the best in the business and preparing them for careers as scientists and science communicators.

Latest Broadcast

The Production Process

Weather broadcasts occur each weekday during the Fall and Spring semesters, with the time set by that day's Anchor and Producer. The full process, including developing an original 7-day forecast for Grand Forks, creating a suite of graphics, recording the broadcast, and publishing to various social media platforms, typically takes about 2 hours to complete. However, students interested in producing content outside of the traditional weather broadcast may set their own schedules for their projects after discussing with the officers. We encourage the use of free and existing resources for content creation, including open-source video editing software and smartphone cameras to record content outside of the studio, as these tools are becoming more common in professional settings.

What are the benefits of joining the team?

• Experience working with Baron weather graphics, one of the two most common graphics packages used at television news stations
• Creative freedom! Students are encouraged to try new things and find their voice as multimedia science communicators
• Connections with professional meteorologists nationwide, easier access to broadcast meteorology internships, and annual visits to the Valley News Live, KVRR, and WDAY stations in Fargo
• Formal training for careers in broadcast and digital meteorology; alumni have worked at television stations nationwide, including national networks such as WeatherNation
• Practice in weather forecasting, applying classroom tools to the real world
• Connecting with new people with similar interests along the way!

How can I join?

Contact Weather Update Faculty Advisor, Jake Carstens.

Jacob Carstens, Assistant Professor

Before arriving at UND in August 2024, I earned my B.S., M.S., and Ph.D. in Meteorology from Florida State University, then spent 2 years as a Postdoctoral Scholar at Penn State University. My primary research background is in tropical weather and climate, including convective organization, tropical cyclone formation and structure, and tropical cyclones in the future climate. Growing interests which I plan to become more involved in include atmospheric science education research and the intersection of meteorology and social science.

I have been involved in broadcast meteorology since my early days at Florida State, finding its lessons in public speaking, graphic design, video production, and audience engagement valuable regardless of where my career took me! I am excited to stay involved in this space as the Faculty Advisor for UND Weather Update, working with students in a hands-on learning environment alongside my teaching.

What roles can members take in the group?

For the traditional weather broadcasts, students generally start by working behind-the-scenes, learning the graphic design, forecasting, and video production processes while practicing their on-camera presentation. Students can then advance to the Producer and Anchor roles, which are the leads for video production and on-air forecasting, respectively. However, with our growing range of content to be produced in 2025, students are welcome to contribute their own ideas and work hands-on in the content creation process, regardless of their level of experience!

How often does the group meet?

Weather broadcasts are produced every day in the Aerospace Network Studio. Beginning in 2025, monthly meetings will also take place featuring guest speakers throughout the meteorology community.