Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for Weather Supervisor

🎯 Role Definition

The Weather Supervisor (also titled Lead Meteorologist or Forecast Operations Supervisor) is the operational and technical lead responsible for delivering accurate, timely weather forecasts and warnings, supervising a team of forecasters and technicians, and coordinating severe weather response across stakeholders. This role balances hands-on forecasting and model evaluation with people management, quality assurance, stakeholder communication (aviation, maritime, emergency management, media), and continuous improvement of observational and forecast systems. Ideal candidates combine deep meteorological expertise with proven leadership, emergency management coordination, and strong communication skills.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

Operational Meteorologist / Forecast Meteorologist with shift-work experience
Broadcast Meteorologist or Aviation/Marine Meteorology Specialist
Meteorological Technician or Data Assimilation/Modeling Specialist

Advancement To:

Chief Meteorologist / Head of Forecast Operations
Director of Meteorological Services / Regional Forecast Manager
Emergency Management Director with meteorological specialization

Lateral Moves:

Aviation Weather Specialist or Flight Weather Service Supervisor
Hydrometeorological Services Lead or Flood Operations Coordinator

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

Lead day-to-day forecast operations, supervising a 24/7 forecast desk and ensuring continuous coverage, shift scheduling, and operational readiness for routine and high-impact weather events.
Prepare, review, and approve routine and special forecasts, warnings, watches, and advisories for severe convective storms, hurricanes/typhoons, winter storms, flooding, fog, and aviation/marine hazards, ensuring accuracy and timeliness.
Coordinate severe weather response and operational briefings with emergency management agencies, first responders, aviation authorities, ports, and critical infrastructure operators to support life-safety decisions and continuity of operations.
Oversee the quality assurance (QA) and verification program for forecasts and products, develop performance metrics (e.g., probability of detection, false alarm rate), and implement corrective actions to improve forecast skill.
Evaluate and integrate numerical weather prediction (NWP) model output (GFS, ECMWF, NAM, HRRR, WRF), model ensembles, and statistical guidance (MOS/analog methods) into operational forecasting workflows.
Interpret radar (NEXRAD, Doppler), satellite (geostationary and polar), upper-air soundings, surface observations, and remote sensing products to produce short-term nowcasts and situational awareness during fast-evolving events.
Manage and maintain observational networks and operational instrumentation (surface stations, profilers, radars, AWOS/ASOS, telemetry), coordinating with field technicians and vendors to ensure data continuity and calibration.
Develop, document, and maintain standard operating procedures (SOPs), warning criteria, escalation protocols, and continuity plans for forecast operations and severe weather events.
Deliver concise, actionable weather briefings and situational updates to senior leadership, partners, media, and public audiences—for both routine operations and emergency incidents—using clear impact-based messaging.
Supervise, mentor, and evaluate a multidisciplinary team of meteorologists, meteorological technicians, and interns; provide training plans, performance reviews, and career development guidance.
Implement and manage automated forecast production systems and product dissemination channels (web, mobile, email, social media) to ensure consistent branding, message control, and redundancy.
Coordinate model assimilation, data feeds, and product generation with IT and data engineering teams to optimize ingest pipelines, reduce latency, and ensure high availability of forecast tools.
Lead post-event reviews and after-action reporting for high-impact weather events, identify lessons learned, update SOPs, and implement training to close capability gaps.
Maintain compliance with regulatory and service-level agreements; prepare documentation and reports for funding agencies, municipal partners, or national meteorological services.
Drive continuous improvement by evaluating new science and technologies (machine learning, ensemble post-processing, high-resolution models) and recommending pilot projects and operational trials.
Manage stakeholder relationships and service contracts with aviation authorities, maritime clients, utilities, and government agencies to align forecast products with user needs and contractual obligations.
Coordinate with national and regional forecast centers (e.g., NWS/NOAA, regional meteorological centers) to deconflict warnings, share situational awareness, and participate in collaborative forecast efforts during large-scale events.
Control operational budgets for forecasting equipment, instrumentation maintenance, training, and overtime; prepare budget justification and procurement requests.
Ensure operational safety for field operations, including storm chasing or instrument deployment, by enforcing safety protocols, training, and risk assessments.
Oversee development and delivery of outreach, education, and preparedness programs for the public and critical sectors to improve climate/weather resilience and hazard understanding.
Create and manage data archival processes, documentation, and metadata standards so that historical datasets and verified forecast performance records are available for research, legal, and audit needs.
Act as subject-matter expert for media interviews and public-facing communications during high-impact weather events, translating technical information into clear, credible guidance that reduces public risk.

Secondary Functions

Support the implementation of new forecasting tools and visualization platforms; coordinate user acceptance testing and rollout training for forecasters.
Conduct cross-functional workshops with IT, GIS, hydrology, and emergency management teams to translate operational needs into technical requirements and roadmaps.
Lead small research-to-operations projects that transition improved model guidance, post-processing algorithms, or automated alerts into operational use.
Participate in recruitment, onboarding, and retention efforts to build a diverse, technically proficient meteorology team.
Track and report key performance indicators (KPIs) such as warning lead time, forecast accuracy, and stakeholder satisfaction; use data to inform continuous improvement.
Manage vendor relationships for radar maintenance, satellite services, and specialized forecasting software; negotiate service agreements and monitor SLAs.
Provide ad-hoc expert analysis for special projects such as wind energy siting, agricultural advisory services, or climate risk assessments for municipal planning.
Coordinate periodic drills, exercises, and tabletop scenarios with partner agencies to validate warning dissemination and decision support processes.
Support grant writing and proposal development to secure funding for observational upgrades, research collaborations, and community resilience programs.
Maintain and update training materials, simulation scenarios, and competency checklists for new forecasters and shift leads.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

Professional meteorology knowledge: atmospheric thermodynamics, mesoscale and synoptic dynamics, boundary layer processes, and severe weather mechanisms.
Operational forecasting and nowcasting expertise with 24/7 shift experience and task prioritization under time pressure.
Proficiency with NWP systems and model interpretation: GFS, ECMWF, NAM, HRRR, WRF, ensembles, and MOS guidance.
Radar and satellite remote sensing interpretation (Doppler radar, polarimetric products, satellite imageries, RGB composites).
Experience with operational forecasting systems and tools such as AWIPS, McIDAS, GEMPAK, WRF modeling suite, and commonly used vendor platforms.
Data management and QA: observational ingest pipelines, metadata standards, quality control, and verification methodologies.
Programming and data analysis: Python, R, or MATLAB for custom post-processing, automation, verification, and visualization; familiarity with SQL for data queries.
GIS and geospatial analysis for impact mapping, warning polygons, and service area management.
Emergency management coordination and incident command system (ICS) familiarity; experience issuing impact-based warnings and decision support.
Communications and dissemination technologies: web services, API-driven product delivery, mass notification systems, social media for situational updates.
Instrumentation and network administration knowledge: ASOS/AWOS systems, surface station calibration, and telemetry troubleshooting.

Soft Skills

Strong leadership and team management: coaching, conflict resolution, scheduling, and performance management.
Clear, concise verbal and written communication tailored to technical and non-technical audiences, including executives, media, and the public.
Crisis decision-making and calm under pressure during high-consequence events.
Stakeholder engagement and relationship-building across government, private sector, and community partners.
Project management skills to deliver upgrades, pilots, and cross-functional initiatives on time and on budget.
Analytical problem solving and continuous improvement mindset; ability to translate verification metrics into operational changes.
Teaching and mentoring ability to develop junior meteorologists and technicians.
Customer service orientation in a mission-critical, time-sensitive environment.
Adaptability and willingness to learn new tools, data sources, and methodologies as the science and technology evolve.
Ethical judgment and accountability in issuing warnings and public safety messaging.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

Bachelor’s degree in Meteorology, Atmospheric Science, Climate Science, or closely related physical sciences.

Preferred Education:

Master’s degree in Meteorology, Atmospheric Sciences, Applied Meteorology, or related field with coursework or research in forecasting, modeling, or severe weather.

Relevant Fields of Study:

Meteorology / Atmospheric Science
Applied Mathematics, Physics, or Earth Science (with meteorology-focused coursework)
Geographic Information Science (GIS) or Data Science for meteorological applications

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range: 3–10+ years of operational meteorology experience, with progressive responsibility; experience varies by employer size—smaller ops may accept 3+ years, large regional centers typically require 5–10+ years.

Preferred:

5+ years of operational forecasting experience including severe weather operations and 1–3 years of direct supervisory or lead forecasting experience.
Demonstrated experience with 24/7 operational environments, model evaluation, radar/satellite interpretation, and emergency response coordination.
Certifications or coursework in emergency management, incident command (ICS), or relevant professional certifications (e.g., AMS Certified Consulting Meteorologist or Broadcast Seal where applicable) are a plus.

Keywords: Weather Supervisor, Lead Meteorologist, forecast operations, severe weather warnings, radar, satellite, AWIPS, WRF, NWP, nowcasting, emergency management, forecast verification, meteorological instrumentation, decision support, impact-based warnings.