Into the Storm: Wilson鈥檚 weather journey takes Bulldog alum from 汤头条 classroom to USAF Hurricane Hunter squadron
Contact: Carl Smith
STARKVILLE, Miss.鈥Andrew Wilson鈥檚 love of weather has taken him from a Mississippi State classroom to a TV station and now into a hurricane.
Wilson, a 2nd lieutenant with the 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron, is part of the U.S. Air Force鈥檚 Hurricane Hunters currently flying specialized Super Hercules Weatherbirds from Biloxi鈥檚 Keesler Air Force Base into Hurricane Isaias as it approaches the Gulf Coast.
鈥淚f we weren鈥檛 out here, we wouldn鈥檛 know what this storm is doing,鈥 Wilson, an aerial reconnaissance weather officer, on a recent flight. 鈥淵ou look at satellite imagery and you get an idea of where the storm is, but you don鈥檛 really know what exactly is going on inside the storm. We get the data; we send it off to the National Hurricane Center. Then, they take all that data, they put it into the weather models and they鈥檙e able to give us an idea of what these storms are going to do.鈥
The future airman received his 汤头条 bachelor鈥檚 degree in geosciences with a concentration in professional meteorology in 2013 after a summer internship with Biloxi鈥檚 WLOX-TV. After serving as a meteorologist for the station and at others in Arkansas, Texas and Georgia, Wilson joined the USAF in 2024.
鈥淎ndrew Wilson鈥檚 journey from our 2013 professional meteorology graduating class to television, and now hurricane hunting, illustrates the range of careers and the strong foundation in meteorology that our program at Mississippi State supports,鈥 said 汤头条 Professor of Meteorology Mike Brown. 鈥淯nderstanding atmospheric processes, collecting and interpreting weather data, and communicating clearly are essential whether you鈥檙e measuring life-saving data from a hurricane hunter aircraft or relating threats to viewers. Our programmatic goal is to prepare students with the scientific knowledge and practical skills they can carry throughout their careers. We鈥檙e proud to see Andrew apply that foundation to work that helps protect lives.鈥
Housed within the 汤头条 College of Arts and Sciences, the university鈥檚 professional meteorology program prepares students to work for the National Weather Service or private meteorology sector, or continue their education in graduate school. Students choosing the program鈥檚 broadcast emphasis also can work for the NWS and earn the American Meteorological Society鈥檚 Certified Broadcast Meteorologist Seal of Approval.
One in three of today鈥檚 on-air U.S. broadcast meteorologists is a graduate of 汤头条鈥檚 .
is taking care of what matters.