r/NOAA

I been applying for entry level meteorologist positions for years, but no luck. My GPA is strong, and I have a master’s degree in meteorology, but my school isn’t well known. Do you think I have a chance of being hired by NOAA? Or should I focus on networking instead? Thanks for your advice.

21m here, i am a weather forecaster in the Air Force, but my contract ends next year, and am not entirely sure on what i want to do, but i like weather, so maybe NWS/NOAA or some other meteorological organization could be my vibe, is it possible to become a civilian meteorologist with these certs?

i have a CCAF in atmospheric sciences/meteorology

BA in applied business and technology solutions

top secret clearance

will be using AF cool to get a weather related certification (pretty much the only one i can do lol)

any information is appreciated!

Hello, I live in a 2nd/3rd floor apartment in the northeast that's doesn't have interior rooms away from windows. Every room including the bathrooms is exterior facing. My downstairs is one giant room and my upstairs has a bathroom with windows, and my two bedrooms also have windows. There are no closets in my apartment.

How do I properly shelter from damaging wind, and if there were to be one, a tornado?

Does anyone within NWS know of or could tell me when I might expect some locations to start hiring ETs again?

I’m urgently wanting to relocate within the next year or so.

Thank you

Just received a TJO and am looking for some advice on the negation process. Do I begin negotiating before accepting the tjo or between the tjo and fjo?

The pay is a bit too low for me to warrant a move, any tips to negotiate for a higher salary? The original job posting was for a band 3/4 position and I was told I qualified for both, but the offer was given to me at interval 01 of band 3, so I feel like there might be some room for negotiation there. Just looking for some insight and the best way to approach this.

Also, has anyone negotiated for remote work? I’d be willing to take a lower pay/the offered pay if I could be remote. But I understand I probably shouldn’t negotiate for both better pay and remote.

Okay all, so I have been doing some research on the GeoXO series of satellites intended to replace GOES. There has been far too little reporting on this matter, and what reporting there has been has missed a lot of the important details from what I can tell.

So it seems that the original plan for GeoXO was that there would be three satellites — GEO-West, GEO-Central, and GEO-East. GEO-West and GEO-East would carry new, advanced imagers which would significantly increase the resolution of data available. This would be very useful for tracking small-scale features as well as for more northerly locations where the resolution becomes a more serious issue. They would also carry new lightning mappers which will be more precise, detect new strikes, and extend the northward extent of lightning data (which is current capped at ~55N). There was also to be an ocean color sensor and an atmospheric composition instrument. GEO-Central would carry a high-resolution hyperspectral infrasounder, which was considered a critical part of the new system.

During the Trump administration, apparently they initially tried to get rid of the infrasounder entirely and did successfully eliminate GEO-Central. They also tossed out the ocean color sensor and the atmospheric composition instruments because of their connection to climate/climate change. On top of that, they would have had GEO-1 (the first GEO-West satellite) carry yet another Advanced Baseline Imager like those used on the GOES-R series (the current series of geostationary satellites), basically reducing the satellite to GOES-20 and locking in 20-year-old technology until the late 2030s for anywhere too far west for effective coverage from GEO-East. They would also move the infrasounder from having its own dedicated satellite and onto GEO-East. In doing all of this, multiple contracts were canceled on a whim. As far as I know, there is minimal support for many of these actions among anyone involved in meteorology.

In recent congressional discussions, they did not explicitly restore some of the cut features of the program, such as the cut climate-related instruments nor the dedicated Geo-Central satellite, but the House Appropriations Committee rejected many of these changes and stated that the new imager and sounder should be located on both satellites in addition to approving more funding: > The Committee reminds NOAA of the direction included in the Joint Explanatory Statement accompanying Public Law 119–74 regarding GeoXO. The recommendation provides $677,000,000 and reaffirms support for incorporating GeoXO Imager and GeoXO Sounder instruments on both East and West geostationary satellites, while maintaining first launch in 2032. The Committee further directs NOAA, no later than 90 days after the enactment of this Act, to provide a briefing on its GeoXO acquisition and instrument deployment plans, including the revised mission architecture along with cost and schedule baseline; planned use of fiscal year 2027 funds and major milestones; the instrument sequencing plan supporting first launch in 2032; the readiness status of the GeoXO Imager and GeoXO Sounder and contingency plans to ensure advanced imaging and sounding on first launch; and the projected outyear funding required to execute the approved architecture without further delay.

The Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation also unanimously approved the Weather Research and Forecasting Innovation Reauthorization Act of 2026 sponsored by Ted Cruz and cosponsored by nine others, which would further support these goals. I am skeptical this passes on its own, but if attached to the end of year budget bill/omnibus which I think is more likely, it could pass. I don't think there is a shadow of a chance that Donald Trump has any idea what GeoXO is, meaning he isn't likely to be an obstacle (for that reason, anyway), so it could pass there assuming the government doesn't immediately shut down again (which I suspect is a more likely possibility).

On another note, I also don't like that most mainstream news sources reported on the climate sensors but completely missed the very dramatic impact this would have on our ability to monitor the weather. We already know the Trump administration and many of its supporters do not consider the climate/climate change a priority, so why are we not reporting on the many other things that are also being done to impair our scientific edge which might turn more heads? That's not to say the climate sensors shouldn't have been reported on, but missing some huge changes is not great.

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Summary: GeoXO will replace GOES in the 2030s. GeoXO was to have three satellites, with GEO-Central to carry an infrasounder while GEO-West and GEO-East would carry greatly improved imagers among other things. Trump admin decided to cancel contracts and cut a couple climate-related sensors and GEO-Central completely, force the infrasounder to be on GEO-East, and make GEO-West use the by-then nearly 20-year-old imager currently used by GOES. Congress does not approve of these actions and the House Appropriations Committee affirmed that GEO-West and East should both carry the GeoXO imager and infrasounder. The Senate Commerce Committee also unanimously passed an authorization bill through committee signaling opposition. Remains to be seen what if any new changes occur til budget time.

For the NWS hard to fill offices, have some locations already selected people and sent out offers? I remember the first review of applicants was like the first day of June and I interviewed just last week. So I was wondering if anyone has been selected and could share how the process went. I applied in winter for a small bid of GS 5-9s and was ghosted after interview so im hoping they are looking to expedite the process a little bit.

A strange, multi-colored Pacific Ocean species once thought lost to devastating disease has been found again in the waters off Northern California.

Scientists located 18 spiny sunflower sea stars – one of the largest sea star species on Earth, spanning over three feet in length – in the waters of the Greater Farallones National Marine Sanctuary last summer, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration announced this month.

“This is promising news, as sea stars suffered a massive die-off ten years ago as a result of sea star wasting disease during the largest marine epidemic ever recorded, which also devastated kelp forests,” the agency’s National Marine Sanctuaries said in a release.

Did anyone else get referral emails today and then immediately after, an email that said their applications were cancelled? Its happened to multiple people I know.

I applied for 3 total positions in both the hard to fill and east sections. I was found eligible for GS-5/7 for both openings but I was not refereed (I assume these offices just didn't have any entry level positions open). Do I need to reapply for the hard to fill section to be part of the standing registrar or am I already on it since I was found eligible?

Hello, I am looking to get some more information on the ET positions with NWS. I am currently working as an ET with the USPS in Kentucky and I have an associates degree in electrical engineering technology. I am wondering how competitive if at all I would be if I applied.
What’s the training period like to learn their systems?
And where does the pay generally start out for someone with my experience level?
Work/life balance?
Do we receive a government vehicle for travel?

I know that’s a lot of questions but I’ve been thinking about this position for a while and I’m very interested. I love studying weather as well so it feels like a great fit for me.

Thanks in advance