Meteorological Technician

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Work Tasks

• Help meteorologists study the atmosphere
• Watch the sky and read weather instruments to find the temperature, pressure, wind velocity, humidity, and rain fall
• Send out and receive information from other weather stations
• Use weather balloons and radiosonde equipment to get information on the upper atmosphere
• Work inside and outside for the government, commercial airlines, private weather consultants, engineering firms, nonprofit organizations, and the military
• Work with thermometers, barometers, hygrometers, other weather instruments, maps, charts, graphs, weather balloons, radiosonde equipment, and computers

Salary, Size & Growth

• $48,500 average per year ($23.25 per hour)
• A small occupation (8,600 workers in 2010)
• Expected to grow moderately (1.5% per year)

Education/Training

• Minimum for Entry: A 2-year degree in meteorology or military training
• Employers Prefer: A 4-year degree in meteorology
• Skills/Courses: College courses include meteorology, meteorological instruments and observations, climatology, atmospheric dynamics, algebra, and trigonometry.