Meteorological Specialists
Background
Weather information is important for planning military operations. Accurate weather forecasts are needed to plan troop movements, airplane flights, and ship traffic. Meteorological specialists make visual observations and take readings from weather equipment, radar scans, and satellite photographs. Meteorological specialists collect information about weather and sea conditions for use by meteorologists.
What They Do
Meteorological specialists in the military perform some or all of the following duties:
- Forecast weather based on readings and observations
- Identify the types of clouds present and estimate cloud height and amount of cloud cover
- Launch weather balloons to record wind speed and direction
- Operate radio equipment to receive information from satellites
- Plot weather information on maps and charts
- Take readings of barometric pressure, temperature, humidity, and sea conditions
Physical Demands
Normal color vision is required to use color-coded maps and weather charts. Some specialties may involve heavy lifting.
Special Requirements
No information available.
Helpful Attributes
Helpful attributes include:
- Ability to communicate effectively
- Interest in gathering and organizing information
- Interest in learning how weather changes
- Interest in working with formulas, tables, and graphs
Helpful School Subjects
Helpful school subjects include:
- Geography
- Math
- Physical science
Helpful Fields of Study
No information available.
Work Environment
Meteorological specialists usually work in offices either on land or aboard ships. They work outdoors when making visual weather observations and launching weather balloons.
Services offering this career:
- Air Force
- Coast Guard
- Marine Corps
- Navy
Hiring Practices
To serve in the military, a person must be at least 17; the maximum age for enlistment varies. To enlist, a person must pass a physical exam and an aptitude test. An enlistee must also meet military standards of discipline and be a US citizen or permanent resident alien.
This position is for enlisted personnel.
Wages
The military is competitive with the civilian world when it comes to pay and benefits. All branches offer the same basic pay and benefits.
Pay depends mainly on rank or grade as well as length of service. Bonuses and the situation in which the person is serving (for example: flight duty, sea duty, hazardous duty) also affect pay.
Cost-of-living increases usually occur every year, based on inflation. The military also pays allowances for food, clothing, and housing. All these factors combined are called Regular Military Compensation (RMC). They should all be considered when comparing military pay to civilian pay.
There are two main parts to RMC: basic pay and allowances. There are also additional incentives for special abilities, training, or hazardous duty.
Check out the RMC Calculator to calculate your RMC based on your inputs.
Training Provided
Job training consists of seven to 18 weeks of classroom instruction. Training length varies depending on specialty.
Course content typically includes:
- Analyzing radar and satellite weather information
- Basic meteorology (study of weather) and oceanography (study of the ocean)
- Methods for plotting weather data
- Preparation of weather reports
Advanced training in weather forecasting is available for some specialties.
Civilian Counterparts
Civilian meteorological specialists work for government agencies (such as the US Weather Service), commercial airlines, radio and television stations, and private weather forecasting firms. They perform duties similar to military meteorological specialists. Civilian meteorological specialists may also be called oceanographer assistants and weather clerks.
Related Civilian Careers
Employment and Outlook
In peace time the services have about 4,000 meteorological specialists. In times of military action the number may be different, depending on the type of specialties required. Each year the services need new specialists due to changes in personnel and the demands of the field. After job training, new specialists collect weather information under the supervision of experienced workers. With experience, they perform more complex collection and analysis tasks and may become weather forecasters. Eventually, they may become managers of weather observation units.