In his first year at Groton, Jacques Dy ’25 has already made a name for himself in the Groton community. A student with an eclectic range of interests, Jacques loves to snowboard and surf, as well as study astronomy. However, ever since he could remember, Jacques has also had an affinity for meteorology. Growing up in Queens, New York, Jacques used to confuse his grandparents when he would bring up the weather in places such as Siberia and Florida. For several years, he watched weather channels on Youtube such as Force Thirteen and Direct Weather, and he eagerly imbibed their teachings and reports on hurricanes, tropical forecasts, and winter storms.

The extreme boundaries of weather have always fascinated Jacques. “I love meteorology because of how complex it is in general. There are thunderstorms that can appear out of nowhere, 200 mph hurricanes, and snowstorms that dump five feet of snow. For me, it’s just about how far weather can go and how much it can affect all of us,” said Jacques. One of the key moments that really sparked his interest in weather was the 2017 hurricane season, consisting of hurricanes Harvey, Irma, Maria, and many more. “I vividly remember Hurricane Irma. It was this category five hurricane that caused a trail of destruction on most of the islands near South America and Florida. It stayed as a category five for two and a half days, which really shocked me. The fact that it was so strong, 185 mph, made me wonder about how extreme weather can get.” Ever since then, he has been tracking hurricanes and all of the winter storms that go through the US. On February 1st, as he was tracking winter storm Orlena, he came up with the idea to send an all-school email to update the Groton community on it because of possible safety concerns. He never expected that he would receive so much appreciation for it. 

“I wasn’t too fond of reporting the weather to the school when I did winter storm Orlena at first, but when I saw how much appreciation I got for it, it made me really happy. I didn’t know it at the time, but I supposedly helped a lot of people. That’s why I do them, because not only do I get to share my interest in the weather but it also helps everyone,” Jacques said. Since his first email on Orlena, Jacques has covered an incoming polar vortex, subsequent snowstorm, freezing rain, and the retraction of the polar vortex. With his emails, he hopes to inform the community of hazards involving the weather, so that the Groton community stays safe on the roads and is aware of interferences with daily activities. Jacques’ detailed, thoughtful, and highly informative emails have received a lot of positive attention, and thankfully, we will be receiving more weather updates from him in the coming months. 

It has been truly inspiring observing how Jacques shares his passion for meteorology at Groton and uses it to look out for the safety of everyone. Young and passionate, he has future aspirations of starting a meteorology club.