How To Become A Broadcast Meteorologist: What It Is and Career Path

What is a broadcast meteorologist and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

2 min read

Quoted expert

Man-Yau Chan

There is more than meets the eye when it comes to being a broadcast meteorologist. For example, did you know that they make an average of $27.54 an hour? That's $57,285 a year! Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow -4% and produce -1,700 job opportunities across the U.S.

What general advice would you give to a broadcast meteorologist?

Man-Yau Chan

Assistant Professor, Ohio State University

The fact that we do a surprising amount of math, programming and data analysis. The weather's behavior can be modelled by mathematical equations. These equations often have a Physical basis (e.g., the conservation of energy). People who dislike any kind of math intensely will dislike being a meteorologist, and people who like math will be ecstatic. This is a matter of preference really. On a more entertaining perspective, not all meteorologists like to be asked about the weather forecast. 🤣 Forecast meteorologists are probably fine with that, but a research meteorologist who just spent 8 hours working on a non-forecasting topic may get slightly (and entertainingly) annoyed. We are kind of like dermatologists in that sense – they don't always to check for skin cancer at family gatherings!

ScoreBroadcast MeteorologistUS Average

Salary

4.5

Avg. Salary $57,285

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

7.4

Growth rate -4%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

3.3

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.33%

Asian 4.48%

Black or African American 8.97%

Hispanic or Latino 7.29%

Unknown 2.97%

White 75.97%

Gender

female 24.32%

male 75.68%

Age - 49

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 49

Stress level

7.4

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

9.2

Complexity level is advanced

7 - challenging

Work life balance

4.1

Work life balance is poor

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a broadcast meteorologist

Explore broadcast meteorologist education requirements

Most common broadcast meteorologist degrees

Bachelor's

89.2 %

Master's

4.6 %

Certificate

1.5 %

Start to develop specific broadcast meteorologist skills

Skills	Percentages
WSI	40.04%
Severe Weather Situations	30.19%
Public Appearances	29.77%

Complete relevant broadcast meteorologist training and internships

Accountants spend an average of Less than 1 month on post-employment, on-the-job training. New broadcast meteorologists learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a broadcast meteorologist based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real broadcast meteorologist resumes.

Research broadcast meteorologist duties and responsibilities

Create estimates, negotiate music, lead casting searches, schedule sessions with NYC and Boston post production studios.
Operate and optimize digital and analog equipment require for television broadcasting, including routing switchers, audio boards and video switchers.
Create estimates, negotiate music, lead casting searches, schedule sessions with NYC and Boston post production studios.

Apply for broadcast meteorologist jobs

Now it's time to start searching for a broadcast meteorologist job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

Browse job boards for relevant postings
Consult your professional network
Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
Watch out for job scams