Jay Grymes Named Louisiana State Climatologist

BATON ROUGE -Jay Grymes, chief meteorologist for WAFB-TV and interim Louisiana state climatologist since February, has been named the permanent state climatologist, effective Aug. 1.

Grymes recently announced he is retiring from WAFB this month after nearly 30 years with the station and joining the Governor's Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness, or GOHSEP, to assist the state with emergency response and mitigation. In addition, as the state climatologist, he will direct the operations of the Louisiana Office of State Climatology, housed at LSU.

"We are excited to have Jay fill this position on a permanent basis," LSU Executive Vice President & Provost Roy Haggerty said. "He brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to this role, and his concurrent job with GOHSEP brings added value to LSU's already strong partnership with the state of Louisiana."

The Louisiana Office of State Climatology is responsible for Louisiana climate monitoring, climate data archiving, and public outreach through the issuance of reports and summaries. The state climatologist provides weather and climate information to public and private interests to improve decision-making that affects the economic efficiency and the well-being of the people of Louisiana.

As such, the state climatologist will also work directly with the Louisiana Cooperative Extension Service under the auspices of the LSU AgCenter to help keep citizens updated about current meteorological conditions, support the U.S. Drought Monitor, and support and utilize the AgCenter's network of scientific weather instrumentation around the state.

Grymes has more than 30 years of experience in the field of weather and climate, including 25 years in higher education at LSU and the University of Delaware. He previously served as Louisiana's state climatologist from 1991 to 2003, providing data and information to the state and the media during a number of weather events and storms.

Contact: Kristine C. Sanders
LSU Marketing & Communications
[email protected]
225-578-5985

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