meteorologist

American  

[mee-tee-uh-rol-uh-jist] / ˌmi ti əˈrɒl ə dʒɪst /

noun

1. a scientist who studies the atmosphere and its phenomena, including weather and climate.

   I was the meteorologist for a radio news station in Ottawa, preparing the daily weather forecasts five days a week.

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Etymology

Origin of meteorologist

First recorded in 1630–40; meteorolog(y) ( def. ) + -ist ( def. )

Explanation

The expert TV reporter who presents the nightly weather forecast is a meteorologist. If you want to know if it's going to rain on your picnic this weekend, ask a meteorologist! Meteorologists get their name from the Greek meteōrologia, "discussion or study of high things." The "high thing" meteorologists study and report on is the planet's atmosphere — and the way it affects the weather. While people have tried to predict the weather for centuries, it's only recently that science has caught up with this goal, and meteorologists usually get it right.

Example Sentences

Thursday night’s storm was the second to affect the Hawaiian islands in a week, said Stephen Parker, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 20, 2026

Weak offshore gradients that bring warm desert air to the coast add to the heat, said Robbie Monroe, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Oxnard.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 17, 2026

“It looks like it’s going to be a historic heat wave,” said Robbie Monroe, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Oxnard.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 16, 2026

“We’re looking at an almost 150-year-old record potentially being dethroned here,” said Bryan Lewis, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Oxnard.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 14, 2026

“Let’s go to our meteorologist, Cindy Stewart, in downtown Saint Pete and see what the mood is there. Cindy?”

From "Storm Runners" by Roland Smith

Related Words

• prognosticator
• seer
• witch