The inaugural National Meteorologist's Day is May 9, 2026.

Sean Potter

You may be familiar with National Weatherperson’s Day. February 5 honors the birth of one of the nation’s first weather observers. John Jeffries started taking weather observations in Boston around 1774. That day has also become a moment to recognize women and men working in the weather enterprise. However, the inaugural National Meteorologist’s Day is May 9. What is it and is it needed?

My colleague Sean Potter has proposed May 9, 2026 as the inaugural National Meteorologists Day. I was curious about his motivation and reached out to him. “For years, many have celebrated “National Weatherperson’s Day” (which began back in the 1970s as “Weatherman’s Day”) as the de facto day of observance for professionals in the field of meteorology,” Potter’s website argued. “The work of degreed meteorologists, however, goes way beyond a daily forecast and those who are involved in meteorology professionally deserve a day that recognizes the scientific discipline and professional training behind the work they do,” It continued.

Potter told me this day honors James Pollard Espy, who was a pioneer in American weather science, and the first appointed federal meteorologist. He was appointed to that role in 1842 and his birthday happens to be May 9. According to a Brittanica entry, Espy was also the one of the first meteorologists to give a proper explanation of cloud formation, growth, and associated thermodynamics. He is also credited with being one of the first scientists to use the telegraph for collecting weather observations.

I resonate with Potter’s logic. Whenever I mention being a meteorologist, people immediately start asking questions about the weather forecast or what TV channel I am on. I have been a meteorologist for 35 years and was president of the American Meteorologist Society. I have never made a weather forecast for a living or worked routinely on television. The first part of my career was as a research meteorologist at NASA using satellite-based perspectives to better understand our weather. I also served as the Deputy Project Scientist for NASA’s Global Precipitation Measurement mission. I now serve as a professor and director of an atmospheric sciences program at a major U.S. university.

“From daily forecasts to life-saving severe weather warnings, along with specialized services benefiting industry, commerce, transportation, and more, meteorologists help keep our communities informed, prepared, and safe,” Potter’s website noted. However, there are many other meteorologists out there and the groundhog or your weather app are not among them. Meteorologists work for various federal or state agencies, military organizations, airlines, consulting firms, energy companies, emergency management agencies, commodities companies, insurance companies, sports teams, universities and more.

People get their weather information from a variety of sources these days. However, Potter told me that he wanted to recognize meteorologists. As someone who holds three degrees in meteorology from Florida State University, I appreciate the gesture. It is a grueling academic degree steeped in physics, calculus, chemistry, fluid dynamics and a lot of other things that might actually make you cringe. “A meteorologist is someone with formal education or training in meteorology or atmospheric science—typically a bachelor’s or higher degreee—who applies that knowledge professionally," Potter’s website went on to say.

The AMS is often asked to weigh in on the definition of meteorologist. “A meteorologist is an individual with specialized education who uses scientific principles to observe, understand, explain, or forecast phenomena in Earth’s atmosphere and/or how the atmosphere affects Earth and life on the planet,” its website noted. The Society produced a statement on a Bachelor’s Degree in Atmospheric Science to lay out the classes required to be a meteorologist or atmospheric scientist. “There are cases where an individual has not obtained a degree in meteorology or atmospheric science but has gained sufficient knowledge through coursework and/or professional experience to successfully fill professional positions, such as military weather forecasters or positions typically held by degreed meteorologists.” The federal government also has specific course requirements to qualify for the title of meteorologist as well. The federal Meteorology Series 1340 details can be found here.

Over the years, AMS and the National Weather Association have also developed “Seals” and certification programs to identify meteorological credentials. For example, both organizations have developed “digital seals or certifications” to counter rampant weather misinformation, disinformation, and click-bait on social media.

Potter is a meteorologist, writer, consultant and historian. He is the author of the book, “Too Near for Dreams: The Story of Cleveland Abbe, America’s First Weather Forecaster.” When I first saw Potter’s proposal, I worried that valued members of the weather community, who do not have degrees in meteorology, will feel excluded or some kind of way. I also worried that people would perceive this effort as some type of “gatekeeping” effort, but I thought about it. It is possible to celebrate or honor a group of people without it suggesting anything negative about others. We see examples of it in society everyday with various celebratory days, months or honors.

Happy 1st #NationalMeteorologistsDay. By the way, that’s the social media hashtag Potter has asked everyone to use.