Predicting the Weather

When Jeff Underwood interviewed for the job of state climatologist, housed in the Geography Department at the University of Nevada, Reno, he asked for a tour of his future office.

Underwood recalled his interviewer saying, "I don't think that would be such a good idea."

At his urging, however, the interviewer acquiesced and showed him the office.

"It was like walking into a pack rat's home," said Underwood. "There was little to no furniture, one computer for the entire office and files piled high to the ceiling."

That disarray didn't deter him, however, from taking the job as the state's top weatherman.

Underwood is a UNR assistant professor of geography, in addition to his duties as state climatologist, which he took over last summer.

"I grew up in the mountains of western Virginia, so I feel at home here," he said.

From an academic perspective, the geographic diversity of Nevada provides a rich groundwork for research.

"I'm particularly interested in how basins and valleys affect the weather, and you get a lot of those around here," Underwood said.

Since assuming the post, he's had plenty to research.

"Between Christmas Day and New Year's, we got more snow in a single month than since 1916," Underwood said. "I measured 31 inches of snow in my own back yard." One weather station measured 70 inches of uncompacted snow.

The mission of his office is to collect, archive, and analyze climate data. However, he isn't a forecaster.

"I get a lot of calls from people who want to know what the weather will be like in two years, on their wedding day," he said.

"When my phone rings, I sometimes wonder whether I should answer it or not," Underwood joked. "Some people think I'm the professor on 'Gilligan's Island,' that I have the answers to all their questions."

Underwood describes his job as half state climatologist, half professor of geography. That's what attracted him to the post from Southern Illinois University, where he last taught.

"I liked the combination of teaching and research," he said. "My first job out of grad school was at Fresno State. I liked the mountains so I thought it would be nice to come back to the region."

But the weather isn't Underwood's first love.

"If I didn't like my job so much, I'd be working with dogs," he said.

When he isn't calculating heat indices, Underwood rescues stray dogs off the street and places them with new owners.

His other passion is basketball. But the self-described "washed-up jock," who played high school basketball, has been sidelined of late.

"I have a degenerative back problem, which makes it hard to play," he said.

Even though it's still winter, Underwood already has summer plans. He hopes to tour the state on his motorbike, visiting each of the 46 weather stations that send in monthly reports to him.

n Contact reporter Dan Moreau at dmoreau@nevadaappeal.com or 881-1217.