Amanda McDonald is a native of Rochester, NY where she spent more than two years working at R News, before relocating to Southwest Florida.

Amanda attended Penn State University where she received a Bachelor of Science in Meteorology. While at Penn State, she was fortunate enough to intern at The Weather Channel and at The National Weather Service. She is currently in the process of receiving her Certified Broadcast Meteorologist Seal from The American Meteorological Society and has been a member of the AMS for several years.

Before joining R News, Amanda began her career in Elmira, NY at WETM. One of her favorite activities throughout her career has been visiting the local elementary schools and talking to the students about the science of weather. Her specially developed curriculum is targeted toward third and fourth graders.

"I'm sure it is pretty obvious, but I am truly a weather geek!” said McDonald. “My friends make fun of me because I ALWAYS have the radar on my computer screen, even when I'm not working."

When she's not monitoring the weather, you can catch Amanda cheering for Joe Paterno and her Nittany Lions, watching hockey and playing with her dog, Allie.

Amanda is used to driving into work with six inches of fresh snow on the ground at least six months out of the year, so the warm Florida sunshine is a welcome change!

Email Amanda McDonald: amanda.mcdonald@winktv.com