Kevin O'Neill to join Storm Team 2

Earns broadcast meteorology certificate from Mississippi State

WGRZ-TV's Kevin O'Neill, best known for his "Celebrating Western New York" (www.wgrz.com) features weekday mornings on "Daybreak," is now a certified broadcast meteorologist.

"I earned my certificate after nine semesters of hard work," O'Neill said. "I've also been working with and learning from the most accurate forecast team in Buffalo, and I'm ready to hit the ground running. Not to be cliché, but I intend to earn Western New York's trust one forecast at a time."

O'Neill will continue to do his "Celebrating Western New York" features, which highlight all the positive aspects this area has to offer. "But now we also plan to use Kevin to complement Andy Parker's forecasts each morning with live, hyper-local weather reports throughout areas of interest in our region," said WGRZ-TV President and General Manager Jim Toellner.

"There is no reporter in Buffalo who has traveled more roads or been in more towns than I have over the last 19 years," O'Neill stated. "I believe that my experience roaming WNY can be especially valuable to our viewers when forecasting for our various micro-climates."

O'Neill joins the rest of Storm Team 2, which includes Kevin O'Connell, Andy Parker, Maria Genero, and Jennifer Stanonis, in giving Western New York's most accurate forecasts for nine years running, according to WeatherRate.

The Mississippi State University Department of Geosciences broadcast meteorology program is a highly regarded national curriculum. Graduates from this esteemed program can be seen on several television stations across the country.