Joseph Trujillo Falcón, Latino meteorologist spurring Spanish-language changes to weather alerts

Joseph Trujillo Falcón is a Graduate Research Assistant at the Cooperative Institute for Severe and High-Impact Weather Research and Operations, in partnership with the NOAA National Severe Storms Laboratory and the National Weather Service Storm Prediction Center. He attended Texas A&M University and earned a Bachelor of Science in Meteorology.

Born in Lima, Perú, Joseph immigrated to the United States when he was 5 years old and grew up in North Texas, the heart of tornado alley, which prompted him to become passionate about meteorology. This newfound passion, however, also made him realize some of the discrepancies in our system, as he often had to translate severe weather information to his family and friends. Realizing this information gap, he wanted to become a bilingual broadcast meteorologist and give back to his community. He currently examines how Spanish-speaking communities receive, comprehend, and respond to life-threatening weather & climate hazards.

Joseph is the Chair of the American Meteorological Society (AMS) Committee for Hispanic and Latinx Advancement, a group of 65 scientists who have facilitated collaborative efforts between academic institutions, broadcast networks, and governmental agencies. He was recently named the 2022 recipient for the AMS Award for Early Career Professional Achievement.