Incident Meteorologists

Employers

Many incident meteorologists are employed by the National Weather Service, but others work for local and state weather agencies, as well as emergency response agencies at all government levels. Some work as consultants to government agencies.  

Starting Out

Most people enter this specialty after working for several years as a traditional meteorologist with the National Weather Service (NWS), at other federal employers, or state or local meteorological agencies. During this time, they take courses and webinars in incident meteorology to build their skills. Aspiring incident meteorologists often learn about openings by accessing internal or external job listings at their employer (e.g., NWS, state or local agency). Others learn about openings by attending meteorology career fairs and networking events, using meteorology association job boards, LinkedIn, and other professional networking sites