From the Webmaster: Ok...lots of ground to cover here, luckily I don't need to reinvent the wheel. There are tons of highly educated, well informed meteorologists and very experienced weather forecaster out there that have already put a majority of this training and learning materials together. I give them all credit for their great work. I'm not trying to give myself credit for this information, but rather have one place that you can go for everything that you would like to find a link or more information about.

Thanks - Jeff

Introduction of my weather background;

Biloxi, Mississippi is where Joint Forces Weather Forecasting Apprentice School is located, or Keesler AFB. A very prestigious school, not for the faint of heart when it comes to academics! If you are in the military and going ‘weather’ – then prepare your study habits well. The school is intended to teach military members the basics of forecasting the weather.

Otherwise, I have been stationed in Kodiak, Alaska attempting to give my best guess at weather forecasting for the past 5 1/2 years! I have a Bachelors in Science in GeoScience specialized in Operational Meteorology through Mississippi State University.

Currently, I've enrolled in the University of Alaska at Anchorage in pursuit of a Masters Degree in Project Management.

----------More on weather----------

With regards to meteorology, there is a discernable difference between an operational forecaster and meteorologist. First, meteorology is the study of what occurs in the atmosphere, and involves comprehensive studies and analysis of systems such as thermodynamic process between various gases and movement of such gases namely water. So to be a meteorologist one would need to be “fluent” in thermodynamics, physics, atmospheric processes, calculus, little bit of chemistry, and believe it or not, be familiar with geography and terrain. So a meteorologist can be a weather forecaster or an atmospheric scientist specializing in certain process of the overall field of geosciences, such as hydrology, or climatology. Whereas a operational forecaster can be trained in the “basics” of weather forecasting processes and learn a little bit of how the processes work without being bogged down with all the “why this and why that!” therefore it is my experience that you should be careful when you engage in learning weather processes. Carefully read and compare to other writings of the same subject. Without a degree teaching the fundamental questions of “why this and why that,” different authors of the same subject might interpret processes differently.

If you are a trained weather forecaster (i.e. have passed AF weather school) then you are operating as a military (operational) forecaster, but can’t call yourself a meteorologist yet! OK, check this out… if you have a degree in meteorology, then ironically you still cannot call yourself a meteorologist…yet…first you must pass the AMS (American Meteorologist Society) test to be certified by the AMS. Only then are you actually a meteorologist recognized by the AMS.

If you have taken lots of courses on weather and “think” you’re a meteorologist ask yourself if you’ve had calculus I, II, and III and have you taken physics I, and II AND were your physics classes calculus based? If you can say yes, then you NEED to take the AMS test right away!

The NWS (National Weather Service) has two positions. First is a 10-40 Weather Observer, which primarily works in a field office doing soundings and working to provide the sounding necessary for the Weather Forecast Office to compile all sounding for input for model analysis. The second position is a 10-41 forecaster. Now a 10-41 can function as a either a weather observer or a forecaster. If you want to work of the weather service the first item of business is first to get hired! Once you’re in, then you’re in…so to speak!

You know what they say in Alaska.....

For more information on getting certified or the difference between the two fields:
American Meteorological Society – http://www.ametsoc.org/amscert/index.html
The weather predictions – http://www.theweatherprecition.com
Article written on Polar Lows - http://www.theweatherprediction.com/weatherpapers/015/index.html

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Frozencoastie by Jeff Estes
Jeff@frozencoastie.com