After receiving an M.S. in atmospheric science from the University of Missouri-Columbia in 1984, Jim Angel joined the Illinois State Water Survey that same year. After receiving his Ph.D. from the University of Illinois in 1996, he became the State Climatologist for Illinois in 1997. He retired as Illinois State Climatologist in 2018, but remains an affiliate of the Illinois State Water Survey.

Interests include climate change and variability in the 19th and 20th centuries, extreme rainfall events, floods, droughts, heat waves, cold waves, Great Lakes storms, and Great Lakes water levels.

He is actively involved in providing climate services in Illinois through the media, talks, and his web site. He monitors climate conditions around the state as they unfold (e.g., drought). He is involved in the development and support of climate data networks within the state.

• Ph.D., Department of Geography, University of Illinois, 1996
• M.S., Atmospheric Science, University of Missouri, 1984
• B.S., Atmospheric Science, University of Missouri, 1982

Illinois State Climatologist website