Meteorologist Gets Popular After Using American Sign Language in Her Forecasts

Mikayla Smith uses American Sign Language to describe current weather conditions and give predictions for upcoming weather events. She began the program while forecasting in the Sherman, Texas area. She uses ASL to sign everything she says during her broadcasts.

Mikayla’s Passion for American Sign Language

Mikayla was born and raised in Rockwall, Texas, 30 minutes east of Dallas. A member of the University of Oklahoma’s class of 2022, she received a Bachelor of Science degree in meteorology. She is passionate about employing ASL to convey local weather events to the Deaf and hard-of-hearing population. As a devoted supporter, she continually seeks new ways to learn and grow.

Mikayla Has Become an Overnight Internet Sensation

Videos of Mikayla’s weather forecasts have quickly gone viral. She hopes that her signing of weather forecasts will inspire others to learn sign language. She says she's happy to see the strong impact her signed forecasts have had on the public. She hopes the new signing movement will start to spread, thus helping special communities that may not normally be able to receive news and weather reports on a regular basis.

Mikayla’s Efforts can be of Great Benefit to the Hearing Impaired

One in eight people in the U.S. 12 years of age or older have some level of hearing loss in both ears. Approximately 30 million members of the population have hearing loss.

Mikayla Smith started Signing Science with Smith to help Deaf and hard-of-hearing people. Weather updates include scientific data, all of which are accessible to both the hearing and Deaf populations alike. She says she’s making enormous strides toward greater accessibility to news and weather.