Ryan Phillips
Ryan Phillips anchors South Florida weather coverage with a focus on how atmospheric patterns translate into concrete local impacts. He combines daily forecasting with climate context, using events like El Niño, drought relief and hurricane activity to explain risk and resilience for the region.
Evening meteorologist with a long-view on Florida weather
Phillips is an evening meteorologist for NBC 6, and has been forecasting Florida’s weather for more than two decades.
He has worked on the station’s weather team since 2005, guiding audiences through major systems that threatened the area, including hurricanes Matthew, Irma, Dorian, Eta, Ian and Nicole. His author biography emphasizes a background in geography and meteorology, which informs his focus on the interaction between large-scale climate drivers and local conditions. That foundation shows up in pieces that tie El Niño’s development to changes in hurricane season behavior and day-to-day South Florida weather.
Rainfall, drought and South Florida precipitation extremes
Phillips tracks how rainfall patterns affect South Florida’s water balance, treating monthly totals and deficits as a core news subject rather than a routine forecast detail.
In recent coverage, he highlighted Fort Lauderdale’s wettest month since the historic April 2023 flooding, framing the new totals against that benchmark event to show how quickly conditions can swing from drought concerns to flooding risk. He also follows systems beyond South Florida when they relate to regional hydrology, such as his report on the remnants of Tropical Storm Dolly delivering much-needed rainfall to the Caribbean and its implications for broader patterns.
In these pieces he moves beyond temperature and rain icons, framing precipitation as a driver of infrastructure strain, flood risk and recovery from dry spells.
Hurricane season and tropical systems as an evolving risk story
Hurricane season is a central pillar of Phillips’ work, and he treats it as a narrative that runs across months rather than a sequence of isolated storms. He has reported on how recent Julys have produced impactful storms while explaining why the 2026 environment would not support the same behavior, connecting ocean temperatures, atmospheric setup and storm formation potential.
His coverage of individual systems extends this approach, from tracking the path and intensity of Hurricane Beryl to explaining its record-breaking early Category 4 and Category 5 strength and what that means for the remainder of the season. Video segments and digital updates show him breaking down storms like Subtropical Storm Nicole, Tropical Storm Erin and Hurricane Milton, translating forecast models into clear expectations about wind, rain, tornado warnings and timing.
During active events he appears in live updates and special coverage, such as ongoing reporting on an Everglades wildfire sending smoke across South Florida. Across these pieces he stresses preparation and impact, returning to how each storm fits into the broader seasonal pattern.
Climate signals and explainer coverage beyond the daily forecast
Phillips regularly uses explainer formats to connect climate signals to everyday concerns, extending his work beyond standard forecast hits.
In segments under the “Beyond the Forecast” banner he explores issues like fuel and fertilizer price changes, tying them to weather, climate and global supply dynamics. His El Niño coverage follows the same pattern, laying out how a locked-in El Niño phase affects hurricane risk, rainfall distribution and the feel of South Florida’s seasons in accessible language. These pieces show a consistent style: clear explanation of the science, direct links to practical outcomes, and a focus on what viewers should expect over weeks and months rather than only the next day.
Live, visual and collaborative reporting
Phillips’ work spans on-air broadcasts, streaming video and digital articles, with frequent use of graphics and radar to visualize risk during severe weather. He appears alongside news colleagues in live coverage when weather drives breaking stories, such as joint reporting on Everglades wildfire smoke spreading across the metro area.
Across formats he keeps the focus on communicating timing, intensity and uncertainty in plain terms, making complex atmospheric setups understandable without jargon.
4 more environment journalists.
Alan Halaly
Alan Halaly is a water reporter at the Las Vegas Review-Journal who treats the Colorado River as a working system, not a backdrop, making its governance, infrastructure and risks central to his beat. He covers how policy decisions and infrastructure projects shape the region’s water future, linking high-level choices on the Colorado River, dams, mining and data centers to everyday consequences under mounting heat and growth pressures. He reports deeply on new laws, lawsuits and regulatory shifts, focusing on on-the-ground impacts. His coverage spans Colorado River cuts, Hoover Dam operations, extreme weather, heat and parks, septic system rules, workplace and public health risks, lithium and gold mines, protected landscapes, data centers, AI infrastructure and public funding. Previously he reported for metropolitan dailies, digital outlets and public media, including the Miami Herald, WUFT, The Daily Beast and Miami New Times, with work recognized by Hearst, ONA and the Society of Environmental Journalists.
Alejandra Borunda
Alejandra Borunda reports on how climate change affects human health for NPR. Her work treats global warming as a direct cause of physical and mental health risks. She covers extreme heat, including undercounted deaths, lost sleep and local efforts to track heat-related fatalities. She also reports on wildfire smoke, hurricanes, disease spread such as dengue fever, trauma, stress and unequal health impacts. Her stories examine how communities protect themselves and recover, as well as practical solutions involving climate-resilient crops, agriculture and diet. Before NPR, she wrote about climate science and environmental issues for National Geographic, including glacier retreat, shade and heat inequity, and shrinking ice-fishing seasons. A former climate scientist, she combines field reporting with scientific data to connect atmospheric research to everyday risks, choices and people’s lived experiences.
Alex Lubben
Alex Lubben is an environment reporter at The Times-Picayune/The Advocate who connects climate risk to policy, industry and community change. He covers Gulf warming, flood protection, coastal restoration, wetlands litigation, industrial projects such as SpaceX’s possible expansion, invasive species and local ecosystems. His reporting tracks how law, politics and corporate decisions shape levees, drainage, marshes and long-term resilience. He also examines climate relocation, housing and labor, showing how hurricanes, floods and wildfires displace vulnerable communities and expose gaps in government systems. He works on a small environment team and brings an investigative background to document work, data analysis, legal and policy research, and field reporting. His work has appeared in VICE News, The Center for Public Integrity, The Nation, Jewish Currents and NBC News.
Alex Wigglesworth
Alex Wigglesworth reports on how climate, land use and public policy shape California communities. She covers the Inland Empire and Mojave Desert for the Los Angeles Times and is part of its environment team. Her beat includes wildfires, megadrought, extreme weather, desert development, conservation, wildlife, industrial hazards, aging infrastructure and regulatory enforcement. She has covered Western Joshua trees, desert tortoises, beaver-led restoration, toxic lead pipes, air-quality concerns after industrial fires and the effects of nuclear war on food systems. Earlier, she was a general assignment reporter for the Philadelphia Inquirer, Daily News and Philly.com. She combines breaking news with detailed reporting grounded in scientific studies, modeling and expert interviews. Her work connects fires, drought and other hazards to climate change, while examining how agencies, companies and land-use decisions affect people and ecosystems.