Storm Tracker Requirements
With global warming, weather patterns around the world are changing. The Gulf stream is shifting and the polar ice caps are melting. Some areas are having massive droughts while others are being flooded! Storms are increasing in frequency and strength. There appears to be a new occupation arising around the world, the position of storm tracker.
How to become a storm tracker? You meet the requirements.
A storm tracker can be one of several people. It can be the person who actually monitors and predicts severe weather on either a local or regional basis, knowing where thunderstorms with lightning are going to strike, or it might be the person on the television who reports the storms and damage they cause. It can also refer to the individual that heads out to the areas where storms are occurring and trackers them as them move through the region, though this is more like a storm chaser. Though all require some understanding of meteorology, every one of these "storm trackers" requires slightly different skills and qualifications.
The storm tracker that actually does the work of monitoring and predicting the path of violent storm is the one also responsible for sending out warning to protect life and property. These are the people that work with or for the National Hurricane Center, state disaster relief agencies and such. They require a detailed understanding of how the weather works, cold and warm air mass movements and interactions and a good deal of physics. For this job one needs a good education. It is also important in this day and age that you learn how to operate computers and process data, they will help with tracking and predicting what is going to happen.
The television storm tracker with take the information and present it in an understandable format to the public. They are the severe weathermen, the ones that get out and face the weather just after it has passed and reports on what the consequences are. They report where is likely to be next and what to expect. This job doesn't require as technical training but, because they are on the television, need to be visually appealing and speak clearly. Learning to understand and read the data is important, but a course in public speaking will come in handy. Television wants everything to look good, and that includes their storm tracker.
The storm trackers that get out during the storm, the storm chasers, are the "commandos" of the weather world! Looks help, but guts are more important. They get out and actually follow the tornadoes, ride through and track the hurricanes. They need an understanding of the data and what is likely to happen in the field. This allows them to track and follow the storms while avoiding the more serious consequences. Requirements include guts, reasonable intelligence and a lot of luck. One can get a start on the job by working for one of the meteorologists putting out equipment during storms.
How to become a storm tracker? Learn about the weather, study the weather and then be prepared to risk life and limb to follow the severe weather and report on it!
