About us/Adrian Hernandez
Education
Florida International University, Bachelors of Science in Atmospheric Sciences
Q&A with Adrian Hernandez
About Adrian:
Adrian grew up in South Florida where the heat took center-stage, practically 365 days a year. With not many years of life under his belt, his exposure to hurricanes and severe thunderstorms were limited. However, whenever they did occur, he was hooked. Living through Hurricane Irma in 2017 really changed his perspective on what he wanted to study in college. It was a very unsure time for him, not having a clue what college would bring, and only have a few years to decide. It was this that pushed him to study atmospheric sciences at Florida International University in Miami. Shortly after graduating with his Bachelor’s, Adrian began his career at WSNN in Sarasota, Florida, where he did live broadcasting for hurricane’s Debby and Helene, further fostering his love for tropical weather. Being a Miami boy since day 1, his love for the tropical weather never faltered. In fact, forecasting hurricanes and summertime thunderstorms only made it grow stronger. This love brought him out to West Palm Beach to start a new and exciting chapter with WeatherNation! Adrian joined the team in 2025, and is eager to expand his expertise across this great nation.
What inspired you to become a meteorologist?
What truly inspired me to go into weather was experiencing hurricane Irma back in 2017. I remember initially not really caring too much about the storm and was just happy I didn’t have to go to school for a few days. However, my dad constantly had WSVN on and I remember watching their Chief Meteorologist Phil Ferro do live coverage on Irma before our power went out. By then I was hooked, I knew I wanted to be that guy one day, doing live coverage of a hurricane. Watching the storm from my back terrace was also incredible to see. We lost our fence and trampoline, but it was watching Irma’s sheer power that hooked me on weather and made studying to be that meteorologist a no-brainer.
What is your most memorable weather experience?
I think my most memorable weather experience was doing live coverage of Hurricane Debby in 2024. It was sort-of impromptu for me to be the one to cover it. Our morning meteorologist at WSNN actually couldn’t make it to work. They called me in and without hesitation I answered it. The experience was beyond what I had imagined. I was live for over 6 minutes at a time just reading storm reports, forecasting storm surge. It was just so incredible how a storm that wasn’t even a hurricane for half of its lifespan, could’ve caused this much damage being hundreds of miles away from the west coast of Florida.
Outside of weather, what are your hobbies and interests?
I really enjoy watching basketball throughout the year. I’m a die-hard Miami Heat-lifer and I was fortunate enough to live through two great eras of the Heat, with the legendary big three and our great run with Jimmy Butler. I actually remember staying up late in 2013 to watch Allen hit that monster shot to take us to a game 7. Besides basketball, I enjoy playing video games and watching good (and bad) movies. I love spending time with my family and friends and my collection of pets. My dog, Kobe and my cat Sheik.
Besides your parents, who has influenced you the most in your life?
My grandparents always pushed me to do what’s right and to chase what I want from life. They taught me lessons I’ll never forget. Professionally, Justin Mosely, the chief meteorologist at WSNN, exposed me to the broadcast business, and I have him to thank for my knowledge of it thus far.
What is a little-known fact about you?
I have a crippling phobia of lizards and iguanas. It might honestly be the absolute worst and unfortunate phobia to have living in South Florida and now West Palm Beach. Some of these massive iguanas just like to chill near the gas station pumps down here. I’ve literally skipped out on getting gas because of this fact. It’s embarrassing, I know. I also have Florida-itis, where any temperature below 75 degrees is “sweater-weather”.
What are your hopes and dreams for the profession of weather?
We live in a time where technology is evolving at a staggering rate. I’m curious to see how AI-modeling will effect hurricane track and intensity forecasts. The hurricane track models for Milton were surprisingly accurate so it’ll be fun to see how AI-modeling influences the science in the future.