Weather observer vs operational meteorologist

The differences between weather observers and operational meteorologists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, an operational meteorologist has an average salary of $54,170, 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 an operational meteorologist are emergency operations, , and .

Weather observer vs operational meteorologist overview

	Weather Observer	Operational Meteorologist
Yearly salary	$51,408	$54,170
Hourly rate	$24.72	$26.04
Growth rate	4%	4%
Number of jobs	619	861
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 56%	Bachelor's Degree, 82%
Average age	40	40
Years of experience	-	-

Weather observer vs operational meteorologist salary

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

	Weather Observer	Operational Meteorologist
Average salary	$51,408	$54,170
Salary range	Between $26,000 And $98,000	Between $27,000 And $107,000
Highest paying City	-	-
Highest paying state	-	-
Best paying company	-	-
Best paying industry	-	-

Differences between weather observer and operational meteorologist education

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

	Weather Observer	Operational Meteorologist
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 56%	Bachelor's Degree, 82%
Most common major	Meteorology	Meteorology
Most common college	SUNY Stony Brook	Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Weather observer vs operational meteorologist demographics

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

	Weather Observer	Operational Meteorologist
Average age	40	40
Gender ratio	Male, 70.4% Female, 29.6%	Male, 82.1% Female, 17.9%
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, 2.5% Unknown, 7.4% Hispanic or Latino, 5.4% Asian, 5.4% White, 78.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%
LGBT Percentage	12%	12%

Differences between weather observer and operational 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.

Operational meteorologist example responsibilities.

Analyze atmospheric information using satellite and radar imagery, computer generate graphics, and weather communication equipment and instruments.
Produce weather advisory and closely monitor inclement weather conditions for various locations involving forward deploy scientific teams throughout Antarctica.

Weather observer vs operational 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 operational meteorologist skills

Emergency Operations, 100%

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Weather Observer vs Operational Meteorologist

Updated January 8, 2025

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