A Toast to Meteorologists

Meteorologists work tirelessly to educate and inform the public

“National Weatherman’s Day” or “National Weatherperson’s Day” is observed today in the United States.  It’s designed to recognize the hard work of meteorologists and weather observers (including volunteer weather watchers).  The weather community works diligently to provide the forecasts that people rely on in their day-to-day lives.  February 5 was chosen for “National Weatherman’s Day” because it’s the birthday of John Jeffries.  He was one of the first weather observers in the United States and began taking weather measurements in 1774.

The field of meteorology has a rich history with a variety of career paths, including weather forecasting, research and teaching.  Most positions that don’t involve research or teaching require only a Bachelor of Science degree.  The American Meteorological Society has information on colleges and universities that have both undergraduate and graduate programs in the atmospheric sciences.  Meteorology is one of the four earth sciences, along with geology, astronomy and oceanography.

Prior to the advent of weather radar during World War II and satellites shortly after, a key challenge was identifying areas of significant weather before it became visible to the naked eye.  Hurricanes, for example, were impossible to detect over the open ocean unless a ship happened to be in the vicinity.  Then remote sensing and computer models using math and physics began issuing forecasts (or “solutions”) that meteorologists use.

During the 1990s, access to the “world wide web” became widely accessible with people discovering email and the Internet.  Also, the development of smart phone technology and home high speed internet access has greatly increased the amount of weather information available to the general public.  However, without any method of quality control on the Internet, it’s difficult to discern if what you’re reading is from a reputable source.  Weather forecasting has an inherent degree of uncertainty and unless your information comes from a reliable source, there’s no way to ensure its accuracy.

Broadcast meteorologists have a key role in effectively communicating science information to a non-scientific audience.  The only access most people have to a scientist today is watching their favorite meteorologist during a local newscast.  The explosion of social media also facilitates public interaction between meteorologists and the viewing audience and gives the public a forum to ask questions and gain a better understanding of various weather terms.  Being a meteorologist is hard work and it’s a good idea to pay your favorite meteorologist tribute today for “National Weatherman’s Day.”