Weather observer vs chief meteorologist

The differences between weather observers and chief meteorologists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a chief meteorologist has an average salary of $62,973, which is higher than the $51,408 average annual salary of a weather observer.

The top three skills for a weather observer include DOD, federal aviation administration and radar. The most important skills for a chief meteorologist are community events, public appearances, and weather reports.

Weather observer vs chief meteorologist overview

	Weather Observer	Chief Meteorologist
Yearly salary	$51,408	$62,973
Hourly rate	$24.72	$30.28
Growth rate	4%	4%
Number of jobs	619	12,977
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 56%	Bachelor's Degree, 80%
Average age	40	40
Years of experience	-	-

Weather observer vs chief meteorologist salary

Weather observers and chief meteorologists have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Weather Observer	Chief Meteorologist
Average salary	$51,408	$62,973
Salary range	Between $26,000 And $98,000	Between $35,000 And $110,000
Highest paying City	-	-
Highest paying state	-	-
Best paying company	-	-
Best paying industry	-	-

Differences between weather observer and chief meteorologist education

There are a few differences between a weather observer and a chief meteorologist in terms of educational background:

	Weather Observer	Chief Meteorologist
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 56%	Bachelor's Degree, 80%
Most common major	Meteorology	Meteorology
Most common college	SUNY Stony Brook	Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Weather observer vs chief meteorologist demographics

Here are the differences between weather observers' and chief meteorologists' demographics:

	Weather Observer	Chief Meteorologist
Average age	40	40
Gender ratio	Male, 70.4% Female, 29.6%	Male, 87.0% Female, 13.0%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 3.9% Unknown, 7.9% Hispanic or Latino, 6.9% Asian, 5.3% White, 75.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%	Black or African American, 4.1% Unknown, 7.3% Hispanic or Latino, 7.1% Asian, 7.0% White, 74.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%
LGBT Percentage	12%	12%

Differences between weather observer and chief meteorologist duties and responsibilities

Weather observer example responsibilities.

Assist in taking patient medical history and managing clinical patients and participate in medical team discussions regarding patient treatment plans.
Collect and plot coordinates using GPS units.
Answer requests for technical information regarding regional products from field meteorologists, DOD customers, and other users.
Prepare and release radiosondes, collect and disseminate upper air data using GPS navigational equipment and RRS software.
Produce up-to-date training seminars in PowerPoint.
Collect and disseminate marine weather observations from vessels in Alaskan waters.

Chief meteorologist example responsibilities.

Create & write for daily blog and Facebook page.
Build brand graphics for export from WSI to Internet web page.
Train staff members on use of new GIS and web development software.
Engage in meteorological research and participate in NOAA weather briefings and forecasting activities.
Produce weather advisory and closely monitor inclement weather conditions for various locations involving forward deploy scientific teams throughout Antarctica.

Weather observer vs chief meteorologist skills

Common weather observer skills

DOD, 18%
Federal Aviation Administration, 15%
Radar, 10%
Air Traffic Control, 6%
Data Quality Control, 6%
Weather Station, 6%

Common chief meteorologist skills

Community Events, 22%
Public Appearances, 17%
Weather Reports, 10%
Weather Data, 8%
AMS, 8%
WSI, 7%

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Weather Observer
Weather Observer vs Chief Meteorologist

Updated January 8, 2025

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