Working With Weather

CategoriesKids / Weather

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November 1, 2016

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Weather is fascinating, and learning about it can be a lot of fun! If you enjoy tracking storms and watching the weather, then one day you might like to have a job working with weather. There are many different kinds of jobs related to the weather. Some people are physical scientists such as meteorologists (they study the atmosphere and forecast the weather) and hydrologists (they study Earth’s water cycle). Others work to support these scientists in many different ways. The Faces of the National Weather Service (weather.gov/careers/) highlights many different types of jobs and career paths available to those interested in meteorology, hydrology, and other similar sciences. There’s a lot of information about many different jobs available in the NWS, and you can even read about many of the people that work for the NWS and the various different paths each of them took in their careers. One person you can read about is Jamie Rhome, a Storm Surge Specialist. Storm surge is the rise in sea level caused by powerful storms, which can cause flooding. This phenomenon is exactly what we recently saw with Hurricane Matthew on the east coast. Jamie works to forecast these storm surges and also helps with response and recovery efforts after the storms. When he was a kid, Jamie loved winter weather. As he got older, this led to a desire to forecast the weather. Jamie’s first job after college was working with the Environment Protection Agency studying air pollution. After that, he joined the National Hurricane Center at the NWS, where he works today. If you want to be a weather scientist like Jamie one day, it’s important to study math and science. Physics, chemistry, mathematics and computer science are all important subjects when studying meteorology, but English and communications is also important. These skills help meteorologists communicate the science and hazards associated with impending weather. Studying and working hard in these classes throughout your schooling will help you get a good understanding of how things work by the time you go to college. In college, there are various degree options for those interested in studying the atmosphere. For instance, a meteorologist would pursue a bachelor’s degree in meteorology or atmospheric science. Both degrees teach you about weather and climatology (historical weather patterns). While getting your bachelor’s degree, you can apply for research internships and be a part of the group of scientists that could change the understanding of our world. A lot of weather scientists continue with their education and get a master’s degree or a doctorate (Ph.D). These years of school are harder, but students get to do more research and become more involved in their field. Getting another degree teaches you a lot more about weather and introduces you to a lot more people you may be working with one day all over the world. You can start your training now by learning all that you can and observing the weather every day. You can get a weather station in your backyard to help the NWS by collecting more data they can use in their forecasts. The NWS is always looking for volunteers too. Contact your local forecasting office to see what experience you can get.