Expert: Donald Rosenfeld - 2/24/2008

Question
QUESTION: Can a meteorologist with a masters degree in meteorology qualify for a job as a certified weather observer, or is a certified weather observer an entirely different position?  I don't quite understand the difference and am hoping you can help.

Thank you very much.


ANSWER: Hi Issie

Well, you'd seem over qualified but you would need some training to be a NOAA or military service weather observer.

For more, see:

http://www.weatherknowledge.com/become.html

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Thank you!

I perused the web site but didn't see anything about weather observers.  It sounds like a masters in meteorology exceeds the educational requirements for a weather observer, although a weather observer must have some sort of specialied training that a met. degree does not provide, right???  

Can you give me a brief description of what a weather observers does?  I've looked for a good description online and can't find anything.

Thanks again for your help.  This, I promise, will be my last question.  :-)

Answer
Hi Issie

See if these links help:

http://www.nwas.org/jobs_iframe.html#isg

http://www.weather.gov/directives/sym/pd01013004curr.pdf

http://www.dol.gov/esa/regs/compliance/whd/wage/p29621.htm

http://www.afweather.af.mil/library/observermagazine.asp

http://www.wxqa.com/archive/obsman.pdf

http://www.nwstc.noaa.gov/nwstrn/d.ntp/data/cooppds.html

http://www.nws.noaa.gov/os/coop/training.htm