FIU WxChallenge
Team Information:
The FIU WxChallenge team is a group of FIU meteorology undergraduate students,
graduate students, and alumni competing in the intercollegiate weather forecasting competition run by the University
of Oklahoma through WxChallenge.com. From September - April, we forecast the high/low temperature, wind speed, and
precipitation for 10 different cities across the country.
FIU has been participating the WxChallenge since the 2009-2010 school year.
Partipation is required for students who are taking Dr. Haiyan Jiang's Severe Weather and Synoptic Meteorology Lab courses.
The Department of Earth & Environment has been generously supporting the FIU team participiation
by providing prizes to local winners each year since 2012-2013 and student registration fee since 2020-2021.
Several FIU students have been serving as the WxChallenge local manager under the sponsor of
Dr. Hugh Willoughby (2009-2010) and Dr. Jiang (since 2010-2011).
Below are our FIU local managers each year:
Chris Ponce: 2009-2010 & 2010-2011
Joe Zagrodnik 2011-2012 & 2012-2013
Alannah Irwin: 2013-2014 & 2014-2015
Justin Baldizon-Stark: 2015-2016 & 2016-2017
Rigoberto Olivera: 2017-2018 & 2018-2019 & 2019-2020 & 2020-2021 & 2021-2022 & 2022-2023
Results & Awards:
Below are the cumulative results of the FIU team each year:
2009-2010: Not placed (below 46th, total 46 teams nation-wide were placed )
2010-2011: Not placed (below 51st, total 51 teams nation-wide were placed )
2011-2012: 42nd out of 53 placed teams nation-wide
2012-2013: 35th out of 52 placed teams nation-wide
2013-2014: 36th out of 47 placed teams nation-wide
2014-2015: 28th out of 47 placed teams nation-wide
2015-2016: 40th out of 42 placed teams nation-wide
2016-2017: Not placed (Dr. Jiang was on Sabbatical Leave and Synoptic class wasn't offered)
2017-2018: Not placed
2018-2019: 32th out of 36 placed (83 total) teams nation-wide
2019-2020: Not Placed
2020-2021: 26th out of 75 teams nation-wide
2021-2022: Not Placed
2022-2023: 25th out of 68 teams nation-wide
2023-2024: 17th out of 71 teams nation-wide
Individual Awards (national level):
In the 2012-2013 season, FIU graduate student Cheng Tao earned a trophy for finishing first
in the graduate student category for the city of Duluth, MN (see picture on the right)!
In the 2015-2016 season, FIU undergraduate student Juan Carlos Pena earned a trophy for finishing second
in the undergraduate student category for the city of Tampa Bay, FL
In the 2023-2024 season, FIU undergraduate student Luis Dieguez won the best forecaster in his undergraduate Junior/Senior category for forecasting Traverse City, MI! (picture coming soon)
In the 2023-2024 season, FIU undergraduate student Luis Dieguez and FIU graduate student Anurag Sharma were the top 32 forecasters nation-wide!
Local Awards:
We give out 11 local winner awards each year for the top ranked FIU team member locally for
the 10 different cities and the final tournament round. Please see the list of local winners each year on the right.
Please note that starting 2017-2018 school year, we set up a limit that each student can only win up to
3 local winner awards (one winning out of 5 cities in each semester and 1 winning for the final tournament round) each year.
Signup Information for WxChallenge: (deadlines are at the beginning of Fall & Spring semesters):
This
PDF link is the PPT file that gives an overview of the competition and how to sign up, and instructions on how to submit a forecast.
This
mp4 video link is the zoom meeting recording of the WxChallenge Overview Presenation that Rigo gave in Fall 2022. This
PDF link provides some useful links to help your WxChallenge forecasts. Please contact our local manager,
Rigoberto Olivera (roliv053@fiu.edu), for additional questions.
Links
Trophy Cabinet
2012-2013 Category 2 Winner
Duluth MN: Cheng Tao
2023-2024 Local Winners:
Chicago, IL - Anurag Sharma
Rapid City, SD - Luis Dieguez
Dallas, TX - Maryana Popovits
Raleigh-Durham, NC - Rigo Olivera
Traverse City, MI - Valeria Espina
Baltimore, MD - Anurag Sharma
Albuquerque, NM - Luis Dieguez
Watertown, NY - Melanie Garcia
Crescent City, CA - Rigo Olivera
Tallahassee, FL - Valeria Espina
Final Tournament: Tulsa, OK - Anurag Sharma
2022-2023 Local Winners:
Sarasota/Bradenton, FL - Anurag Sharma
Knoxville, TN - Xinxi Wang
Milwaukee, WI - Valeria Espina
Olympia, WA - Maryana Popovits
Nome, AK - Anthony Duarte
Denver, CO - Luis Dieguez
Atlanta, GA - Valeria Espina
Augusta, ME - Xinxi Wang
San Angelo, TX - Anurag Sharma
Mt. Shasta, CA - Rigo Olivera
Tournament: Wild Card Round ranked #13 nation-wide - Anurag Sharma
2021-2022 Local Winners:
Quillayute, WA - Anthony Duarte
Scottsbluff, NE - Xinxi Wang
Worcester, MA - Jeremy Katz
Saginaw, MI - Anurag Sharma
Ketchikan, AK - Valeria Espina
Houston, TX - Anurag Sharma
Bismarck, ND - Jeremy Katz
Memphis, TN - Xinxi Wang
Kahului, HI - Rigoberto Olivera
Baltimore MD - Anthony Duarte
2020-2021 Local Winners:
Jackson, MS - Oscar Mendoza
Greensboro, NC - Suraima Aragon Teclas
Des Moines, IA - Xinxi Wang
Los Angeles, CA - Jeremy Katz
New Orleans, LA - Rigoberto Olivera
Melbourne, FL - Suraima AragonTeclas
Midland, TX - Jeremy Katz
Juneau, AK - Rigoberto Olivera
Glen Falls, NY - Xinxi Wang
Grand Rapids, MI - Alethia Kielbasa
2019-2020 Local Winners:
Dubuque,IA: Javiera Hernandez
Cheyenne,WY: Xinxi Wang
Columbus,OH: Jayden Hicks
Dallas,TX: Jeremy Katz
Minneapolis,MN: Andrew Pinnock
Boston, MA: Jeremy Katz
South Carolina, SC: Rigoberto Olivera
Lake Charles, LA: Xinxi Wang
Cold Bay, AK: Valeria Espina
2018-2019 Local Winners:
Portland,OR: Xinxi Wang
Omaha,NE: Sharoon Bhatti
Caribou,ME: Jeremy Katz
Philadelphia, PA: Javiera Hernandez
Boise,ID: Ana Bolivar
Phoenix,AZ: Rigo Olivera
Duluth, MN: Sharoon, Bhatti
Anchorage, AK: Xinxi Wang
Nashville, TN: Jeremy Katz
Pueblo, CO: Javiera Hernandez
2017-2018 Local Winners:
Providence, PI: Troy Anderson
Washington DC: Regan Ratcliff
Salt Lake City, UT: John Ratcliff
Quillayute, WA: Val Espina
Cleveland, OH: Christina Cockrell
Austin, TX: John Ratcliff
Madison, WI: Troy Anderson
Binghamton, NY:Josh Hildebrand
2016-2017 Local Winners:
Key West, FL: Alannah Irwin
Harrisburg, PA: Justin Stark
Grand Island, NE: Justin Stark
Reno, NV: Justin Stark
Trverse City, MI: Juan Pena
Seattle, WA: Justin Stark
Jackson, MS: Justin Stark
Kodiak, AK: Justin Stark
Bismarck, ND: Justin Stark
Nashville, TN: Justin Stark
2015-2016 Local Winners:
Final Tournament winner: Justin Baldizon
Beckley, WV: Whitney Fenelon
Fort Wayne, IN: Stephanie De Souza
El Paso, TX: Angeline Fernandez
Aberdeen, SD: Maria Jacobson
New Orleans, LA: Charles Wirk
Green Bay, WI: Juan Pena
Tampa Bay, FL: Juan Pena
Durango, CO: Javiera Hernandes
Long Island, NY: Justin Stark
Sandberg, CA: Justin Stark
2014-2015 Local Winners:
Tournament Little Rock, AR winner: Justin Stark
Wilmington, NC: Tony Cosio
Butte, MT: Alannah Irwin
Caribou, ME: Eric Reed
Abilene, TX: Brian Matilla (
Sault Ste. Marie, MI:Justin Stark
Phoenix, AZ: Brian Matilla
Springfield, IL: Brian Matilla
Long Beach, CA: Justin Stark
Montgomery, AL: Justin Stark
Laramie, WY: Justin Stark
2013-2014 Local Winners:
Houston, TX: Brian Matilla
Cheyenne, WY: Brian Matilla
Norman, OK: Justin Baldizon
Concord, NH: Tony Cosio
Grand Rapids, MI: Alannah Irwin
Atlanta, GA: Justin Baldizon
Fairbanks, AK: Cheng Tao
Baltimore, MD: Brian Matilla
Redding, CA: Justin Cuomo
Grand Forks, ND: Alannah Irwin
2012-2013 Local Winners:
Overall winner: Mike Fischer, 122nd place
Pensacola, FL: Pete Curran
Billings, MT: Joe Zagrodnik
Louisville, KY: Jonathan Furst
Astoria, OR: Brian Matilla
Syracuse, NY: Mike Fischer
Austin, TX: Szandra Peter
Burbank, CA: Szandra Peter
Newark, NJ: Alannah Irwin
Duluth, MN: Cheng Tao
Des Moines, IA: Joe Zagrodnik
