Post job

Weather forecaster vs atmospheric scientist

The differences between weather forecasters and atmospheric scientists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, an atmospheric scientist has an average salary of $112,366, which is higher than the $64,204 average annual salary of a weather forecaster.

The top three skills for a weather forecaster include DOD, weather warnings and computer system. The most important skills for an atmospheric scientist are MATLAB, remote sensing, and linux.

Weather forecaster vs atmospheric scientist overview

Weather ForecasterAtmospheric Scientist
Yearly salary$64,204$112,366
Hourly rate$30.87$54.02
Growth rate4%4%
Number of jobs42746,693
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 52%Bachelor's Degree, 59%
Average age4040
Years of experience--

Weather forecaster vs atmospheric scientist salary

Weather forecasters and atmospheric scientists have different pay scales, as shown below.

Weather ForecasterAtmospheric Scientist
Average salary$64,204$112,366
Salary rangeBetween $36,000 And $114,000Between $74,000 And $169,000
Highest paying City-Richland, WA
Highest paying state-Washington
Best paying company-Sonoma Technology, Inc.
Best paying industry--

Differences between weather forecaster and atmospheric scientist education

There are a few differences between a weather forecaster and an atmospheric scientist in terms of educational background:

Weather ForecasterAtmospheric Scientist
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 52%Bachelor's Degree, 59%
Most common majorMeteorologyMeteorology
Most common collegeSUNY Stony BrookUniversity of Wisconsin - Madison

Weather forecaster vs atmospheric scientist demographics

Here are the differences between weather forecasters' and atmospheric scientists' demographics:

Weather ForecasterAtmospheric Scientist
Average age4040
Gender ratioMale, 70.9% Female, 29.1%Male, 66.7% Female, 33.3%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 3.6% Unknown, 7.8% Hispanic or Latino, 6.6% Asian, 7.1% White, 74.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%Black or African American, 2.5% Unknown, 7.4% Hispanic or Latino, 5.4% Asian, 5.4% White, 78.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%
LGBT Percentage12%12%

Differences between weather forecaster and atmospheric scientist duties and responsibilities

Weather forecaster example responsibilities.

  • Obtain certification from NWS; disseminate hourly METAR's and SPECI's as needed.
  • Work regularly with the ASOS and various weather relate web sites such as JAAWIN, NOAA and NRL.
  • Disseminate METARs and SPECIs locally and longline to NOAA.
  • Analyze GFS models for changes in temperature, precipitation, and visibility.
  • Predict the next micro and macro trends in fashion and lifestyle before they emerge.
  • Observe and report current weather conditions at the airport for pilots and NOAA weather statistics.
  • Show more

Atmospheric scientist example responsibilities.

  • Manage pediatric dose development project, technology transfer project and alternate API supplier qualification project on budget and on schedule
  • Organize and execute field campaigns for collecting FTIR spectrometer data.
  • Redesign NMT lightning interferometer signal processing system.
  • Redesign signal processing and display system for NMT wideband multi-polarization radar.
  • Design key targets and supervise one chemistry associate resulting in the synthesis of additional compounds, some with excellent biological activity.
  • Redesign signal processing and display system for NMT wideband multi-polarization radar.

Weather forecaster vs atmospheric scientist skills

Common weather forecaster skills
  • DOD, 21%
  • Weather Warnings, 15%
  • Computer System, 10%
  • Weather Data, 5%
  • Flight Safety, 5%
  • Combat, 4%
Common atmospheric scientist skills
  • MATLAB, 54%
  • Remote Sensing, 26%
  • Linux, 12%
  • Technical Reports, 4%
  • Analysis Products, 4%

Browse life, physical, and social science jobs