The big story for meteorologists, which is happening as you read this, is the evolution of a weakened polar vortex in mid-November.
It doesn't matter where you live; if you have clients in North America or Europe, or even China, this is a big deal, especially in energy, but with implications for most industries.
If you don't monitor long-range weather daily and instead watch social media or don't pay attention at all, that's fine. However, when you are looking for a job, depending on what the job is, you want to have a well-rounded knowledge base for the current global weather patterns. You should at least have an idea of when a weakened polar vortex may lead to anomalously cold temperatures in certain regions of the World.
Let's talk about energy first.
Energy is a broad term for natural gas, oil, and electricity, and many other types of fuel or power.
Natural gas prices could rise because of cold temperatures, which is a bigger problem for Europe because it doesn't produce its own natural gas, unlike the US. They have to build up their natural gas storage before the Winter and then get through the Winter without using all of it. An early-season, earlier-than-normal cold period is not good for Europe, and this could cause prices there to rise. The US can be more impacted if the cold temperatures occur in big cities such as NYC.
This brings up electricity, especially renewable power. Europe depends heavily on solar, wind, and hydro, all of which are built in locations that provide adequate power most of the time; especially wind and solar are built based on average atmospheric conditions. Anomalous cold weather patterns often affect more than just the temperature; they can also lead to low-side risk for wind and solar. In Europe, a renewable-first, fossil fuel second type of energy structure means low renewables, combined with tight gas storage, can further ramp the prices upward, making the market tighter and more favourable to making money. Lastly, a dry Summer and Fall have led to much lower river levels on the Danube and Rhine, potentially reducing hydropower.
The grid in the US is inadequate at best, and now you throw in the data center buildout, and you have more demand than ever. Early season cold can come at a time when all the generation is not back in operation after being taken offline for maintenance. Most of the renewable power is far removed from the locations that use it, and most of the planned power sources are from natural gas, oil, and coal. Early-season cold can lead to a knee-jerk or sudden, unexpected demand for power for heating, and this can cause the inadequate grid to experience problems. While many things can be factored into the market ahead of time, some things are a surprise and that is when prices can rapidly rise.
One of the reasons this matters so much this year is that with El Nino, the Winter is expected to be above normal temperatures for much of the US, much of the Winter. This means overall the demand and prices for natural gas are not expected to be as strong as they would otherwise. Any chance that leads to changes in this projection is something market traders will want to know, especially 3 to 4 weeks before it happens or longer, so they can buy at lower prices.
In energy, there are two ways you can miss the forecast and be considered wrong in the eyes of a trader.
Other Industries
Maybe you work for a cruise line, an airline, or for a road weather client, either through supply chain logistics, road maintenance, or something else, and in the US there is the Thanksgiving holiday period in the last week of November. The busiest travel day of the year is the Sunday after Thanksgiving, and one of the busiest driving days of the year is the Wednesday before. If there is going to be weather with rain or snow, wind, fog, ice, or cold temperatures, then your customers will need to have this information as early as possible to make sure they have enough staffing and materials and can plan for deviations in their normal routine.
Because the weather is so big around Thanksgiving in the US, you can basically plan on social media and the TV stations picking up the chance for bad weather 1 to 2 weeks out, which is going to ramp up the pressure on you to make the forecast. Or if you are interviewing or building out your resume, this type of weather, if you can forecast it, you should be able to get a job forecasting it. You can use these types of events to practice or make a portfolio by building a case study of the storm.
In Europe, even without Thanksgiving, the December holiday period can involve travel, holidays, outdoor markets, and generally people involved in activities they are not normally going to be doing. If you know that 3 cm of snow will cause the trains in the Netherlands to stop working, and you have a customer that does business related to the trains, then the risk of a colder-than-expected period of time, that could lead to early-season snow is something you want to watch, and if you are interviewing for a role in Europe, you need to be ready for this to come up, even if just in passing.
All of this is to say that as a meteorologist, you need to know what is going on in the weather, even if it is not related to the specific thing you do.
Issued on the 30th of October, 2026 - Week 44
International
Title: Energy Meteorologist
Company: MetDesk
Location: Wendover, UK
Permit: UK Permit required.
Work Location: Onsite
Degree: A degree in meteorology or an associated science.
Experience: 2-4+ years
Qualifications:
Who Should Apply: MetDesk is kind of the de facto energy company in Europe. They also work out of an office in the US, but the main company is in the UK, and you have to have the right to work in the UK to work there. This company is not a trading company, but instead they provide energy weather information to trading companies about how the weather will impact energy.
Other Energy Jobs (Find them on the Job Board)
Internship - Offshore wind wake benchmarking - Haskoning - Netherlands - This is a good job for someone in Europe who would like to work in energy with a focus on renewables.
United States
Title: Meteorological Data & Forecast Specialist
Company: California Dept. of Water Resources
Location: Sacramento, CA
Work Location: Hybrid
Number of Openings: 2
Pay: $6,955 - $8,706/month
Closing Date: 11/9/2026
Degree: Degree in meteorology, atmospheric science, or a related field.
Experience: 2-4+
Qualifications:
Who Should Apply: Another good job with the state of California working for their flood and hydrology group. This would be a great job if you are already based in California or want to be able to snow ski and hit the beach in the same day, if you enjoy the outdoors but also need a big city nearby and love a state with really hard-to-predict microclimates, no matter what the model data says. In a region where flooding and drought can occur every other year or the same year, where it can be flooding with wildfires, you should apply.
United States
Title: Hurricane Model Developer
Company: Aon
Location: Chicago or Boston
Work Location: Hybrid
Pay: $100,000 to $130,000/year
Degree: Master's degree or PhD in Meteorology, Climate Science, Oceanography, Earth Science, Applied Mathematics, Physics, or a related field, or equivalent industry experience.
Experience: 2-4+
Qualifications:
Preferred Qualifications:
Who Should Apply: Aon hires a lot of meteorologists with advanced degrees to build models for extreme weather, including catastrophe models. You can work with them in locations worldwide. Many of the jobs like this one are fascinating, as you are on the forefront of creating new models they are going to use to run their primary insurance business. So if you want to work in an industry where your work matters, and is used by other people, then this could be that opportunity.
International
Title: Voyage Analyst
Company: Sofar Ocean
Location: Europe/India
Work Location: Remote
Pay: Not Given
Degree: Bachelor's degree in Meteorology, Atmospheric Science, Climate Science, Environmental Science, Physics, or a related field.
Experience: 3+ years of experience
Qualifications:
Who Should Apply: This is a great opportunity if you've already been working as a route analyst and are looking to move into a new role. This role is remote in India or Europe, and requires overlap with the US Pacific hours. This company
United States
Title: Launch Meteorologist
Company: SpaceX
Location: Starbase, TX (near Brownsville, TX)
Work Location: Onsite
Pay: Not Given
Degree: Bachelor's in Meteorology or Atmospheric Science
Experience:
Qualifications:
Who Should Apply: This is a very cool job for a very specific type of person with prior launch experience, which rules out most meteorologists. This may be some one that has worked at Cape Canaveral or Patrick AFB, either a civilian working at a military base or meteorologist that was in the military.
Location: Brownsville is near the Mexico border, and this job is right on the beach with the Gulf of Mexico.
United States
Title: Operational Meteorologist
Company: Atmo.ai
Work Location: San Francisco, CA
Pay: Not Given
Degree: Bachelor’s in Meteorology or Atmospheric Science (or equivalent). Master’s is a plus.
Experience:
Key Skills or Knowledge: (You should be able to do these duties)
United States
Title: Senior Wind Energy Analyst
Company: DNV
Location: US Locations. Also locations in Toronto and Montreal; no sponsorship.
Work Location: Hybrid, 3 days per week in the office.
Pay: $90,000 - $170,000
Degree: Bachelor's degree in Meteorology, Atmospheric Science, Engineering, Physics, Mathematics, Renewable Energy, Environmental Science, or a related technical field
Experience: 5+ years
Qualifications:
Who Should Apply: DNV operates and hires meteorologists on a global scale. They are one of the leading companies in siting renewable energy projects, and this is what the job is and can be located in any of their North American offices. However, you must have the right to work in the US or Canada; they will not sponsor you. The job would be great for anyone with experience in the energy industry or something similar with 5 or more years who wants to work for a company where advancement is possible. The job is hybrid week to week.
United States
Title: Junior Air Sensors Scientist
Company: ERG
Location: Raleigh, NC
Work Location: Onsite
Pay:
Degree: Bachelor’s degree in Environmental Science, Environmental Engineering, Atmospheric Science, Chemistry, Physics, Earth Science, Environmental Studies, Data Science, or a related scientific or engineering discipline
Experience: 0-5+ years
Qualifications:
Who Should Apply: Anyone with an interest in air quality as a meteorologist. This company is willing to hire you right out of university or with experience and train you to do what they do. The salary and benefits are pretty strong, especially if you are starting at an entry level.
Location: Raleigh is at the center of many major universities, including UNC and Wake Forest, North Carolina State, and Duke. You would be only 2 hours' drive to the beach and about 4 hours to the mountains, including the highest points in Virginia, Mount Rogers, which has wild ponies, and the highest point east of the Rocky Mountains and highest point in North Carolina, Mount Mitchell. Also, if this is not cool enough, Transylvania County near Asheville has over 250 waterfalls.
United States
Title: Extension Specialist and Director of the UGA Weather Network
Company: University of Georgia
Location: Athens, GA
Work Location: Onsite
Degree: M.S. in meteorology, atmospheric science, agricultural engineering, climate science, or a closely related field
Experience: 1-3+ years, including training and background in managing extension programs and agriculture systems.
Qualifications:
Who Should Apply: You may not be familiar with extension, but essentially this is something you find in many states across the US and internationally and is usually based at the land-grant university. Extension works with local farmers across the state to help them succeed by providing education about what crops to grow, prices at the market, how to get products to the market, and who to sell to. They may help with weather issues, and this could be where the mesonet fits in. This would be a very interesting job as long as you have a Master's degree.
Location: Athens is a cool, college town sort of in northeastern Georgia, east of Atlanta. Not far to the north, you have the southern end of the Appalachian Mountains, with river rafting, camping and hiking, and in the winter, downhill skiing. Yes, they get snow, sometimes. Not too far from the beach, mild weather, and if you enjoy sports, a lot of sporting events in this part of the US. Plus, if you want to work around other meteorologists and climate professionals, working at a university is ideal.
United States
Title: Mitigation Research Specialist
Company: State of California - Office of the Governor
Location: Sacramento, CA
Work Location: Hybrid
Pay: $6,955 - $8,706
Closing Date: 11/4/2026
Degree: Bachelor’s degree in urban planning, Emergency Management, Geography, Public Administration, Environmental Science, Engineering, Natural Resources, or a closely related field.
Experience: Experience
Qualifications:
Who Should Apply: If you have an emergency management background and want to live and work in California, where there are many weather-related emergencies, you should apply. You should have the type of programming skills and be knowledgeable about wildfires and the urban-wildland interface, along with an understanding ofpost-fire debris flows and rainfall. This could be a really interesting job and good for the right person.
I've been a meteorologist for over 20 years, which means I've been applying for jobs since the early 2000s, before LinkedIn or most social media existed. The way you applied for jobs was to go to many websites and sign up for things like a newsletter to receive job openings. Meanwhile, industries outside of meteorology have evolved into well-organized job boards. On these types of websites, you don't have to spend forever reading each post to determine if the job might be a good fit. There is a short descriptor box in a list with specific details. Then, if you are interested, you open that job and read what it is and what they are offering.
This is the goal of the My Met Job job board. The one thing you can't get more of is time. My life, like yours, is very busy with many things beyond just my job. For now, until I can get companies to send me jobs, I have been backfilling the jobs myself when possible. I plan to do most of this on Fridays. The problem with most job postings on, say, LinkedIn is that every company posts different things they need, in different formats, and often missing the information you are most interested in before applying. I am trying to bring that information to the front of the posting.
Another thing on LinkedIn is that every type of job from broadcasting, to research, to government job, military job, and private forecasting roles are mixed together and sorting through them can be annoying and again time-consuming. My goal is to make it easier to find jobs up front, and by doing this, you might find your next job more easily, and companies may get better candidates.
Until all of this happens, good luck on the job search!
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