How To Become A Weather Anchor: What It Is and Career Path

What is a weather anchor and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

2 min read

Quoted experts

Dr. Chris Karmosky,

Dr. Robert Trapp

There is more than meets the eye when it comes to being a weather anchor. For example, did you know that they make an average of $35.06 an hour? That's $72,921 a year! Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow -10% and produce -5,100 job opportunities across the U.S.

What general advice would you give to a weather anchor?

Dr. Chris Karmosky

Assistant Professor of Meteorology and Climatology, Website

I think one thing that most meteorologists share is the passion for learning about and communicating about the weather. Many of us have been fascinated by the weather from a very young age. From heavy snowfall to tornadoes and hurricanes, the power of the weather is undeniable. And while we would never wish for destruction, severe weather is awe-inspiring. Forecasting the weather is predicting the future—it’s not an easy task and it’s a wonder that we are as good at this as we are. Meteorologists get near-instant feedback on their skills. We can see if our forecasts from yesterday were correct, and can adjust accordingly moving forward. Few professions allow for that kind of learning opportunity on a daily basis. Only two drawbacks come to mind in our profession: shift work and the small vocal minority of the public that have unrealistic expectations or are pushing political agendas. Because weather information is collected at all hours, and many people look to morning weather forecasts to plan their day, it is important for meteorologists to keep working throughout the night to provide the most up-to-date information. So working the midnight shift for the National Weather Service or waking up at 2AM to prepare for the morning news is a fact of life for some. That life is not for everyone! While I am shielded from much of this as an academic, my colleagues and former students who on TV do report back some negative interactions with the broader public. While they say most of their interactions are positive, there are some who do make nasty comments over social media if the rain/snow line is off by 10 miles, or they don’t believe humans are changing the climate, or just don’t like the cut or color of the dress someone wears on TV. So one has to develop a thick skin if they want to be on TV. But overall the positives far outweigh the negatives and it is an exciting, rewarding and incredibly important field for our students to be entering!

ScoreWeather AnchorUS Average

Salary

5.7

Avg. Salary $72,921

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

7.9

Growth rate -10%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

5.5

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.29%

Asian 9.65%

Black or African American 6.35%

Hispanic or Latino 12.56%

Unknown 4.38%

White 66.76%

Gender

female 50.50%

male 49.50%

Age - 38

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 - 38

Stress level

7.9

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

9.8

Complexity level is advanced

7 - challenging

Work life balance

3.9

Work life balance is poor

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a weather anchor

Explore weather anchor education requirements

Most common weather anchor degrees

Bachelor's

90.4 %

Associate

6.4 %

Master's

1.9 %

Start to develop specific weather anchor skills

Skills	Percentages
TV	27.77%
WSI	16.88%
Weather Graphics	7.85%
ABC	7.83%
News Stories	6.45%

Complete relevant weather anchor training and internships

Accountants spend an average of Less than 1 month on post-employment, on-the-job training. New weather anchors 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 weather anchor based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real weather anchor resumes.

Research weather anchor duties and responsibilities

Engage in meteorological research and participate in NOAA weather briefings and forecasting activities.
Live weekday VJ reporter (writing, shooting and editing video) providing daily packages and VO/SOTS.

Prepare your weather anchor resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your weather anchor resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a weather anchor resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable weather anchor resume templates

Build a professional weather anchor resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your weather anchor resume.