On the Job: Meteorologist

One important part of a newscast is the weather report. Many turn to it for future plans they may have, to know what to wear, and to see what they can expect in the coming week. This week on the job I decided to switch positions here at 47 ABC and try meteorology!

As a little girl, my first dream was to be a meteorologist. When I was in middle school I was invited into the ABC studios in New York where I got the chance to tour the weather studio. I even tried it out at my college television station at Ithaca College. But today, we’re working with meteorologist Daniel Johnson. Daniel has been in the business for 6 years, so I think we're in good hands.

Daniel has his own space to work in the studio called the weather center. He’s surrounded by a lot of computer screens which he uses to look up the forecast for the week. He’s also able to access the WSI computer program which is where he gets all the graphics that you see at home.

As far as forecasting goes, Daniel looks at different websites that have the predicted forecast, like NOAA, or the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Once he has all his data, he can then write out all the high’s and low’s for his 7 day forecast.

After that’s done, it’s time to go to the weather wall! First you have to be framed, which means sizing you up so that you look like a normal height on television. One interesting fact about being a meteorologist is that you don’t see script in the teleprompter, you see yourself. You’re also surrounded by multiple televisions’ to show you where you’re pointing. And of course you can’t forget our clicker!  That's what's used to change the slides.

My first few forecasts on the wall were a little rough, but after a few more tries, I was feeling comfortable!

Next week 47 ABC heads to Delmarva Shredding to find out what their business is all about.