National Weather Association

National Weather Association

The National Weather Association (NWA), founded in 1975, is an American professional association with a mission to support and promote excellence in operational meteorology and related activities.

NWA is, along with the American Meteorological Society, one of the two principal meteorological organizations in the USA. To accomplish this, the Association's objectives are: (1) to provide a medium for all persons interested in weather, including climate, forecasting, observations, observational systems and related research and development for the publishing of letters, pamphlets, periodicals, papers, and Web pages concerning activities in said fields; (2) to provide information, publications, materials, and seminars that will promote forecasting, analysis, observations, training, and education in the meteorological disciplines.

There are dozens of local chapters of the National Weather Association. The national NWA as well as some local chapters conduct conferences on various aspects of operational meteorology (i.e. weather forecasting and presentation).

Like the American Meteorological Society, the NWA also has a Seal of Approval for broadcasters. Sealholders must pass a multiple choice test on meteorological principles and submit tapes to a panel of fellow weathercasters for review. Unlike the AMS seal, a college degree in meteorology or the physical sciences is not required, though there is a minimum experience requirement (a meteorologist must have three full years of on-air experience, or two full years of five-day-a-week forecasting, to qualify for the seal); the AMS seal only requires a nominal amount of experience (3 days, enough to produce a demo tape). Many working meteorologists have both seals. It is worthy to note that many meteorologists with degrees and/or certifications from accredited meteorological university programs will work to gain a Seal of Approval from the National Weather Association or American Meteorological Society to add to their credentials because it shows that they can relay weather information to the public in a sound and understandable manner. Seals are sought as a mark of distinction in the broadcast meteorology community. A person who has a bachelor's degree in meteorology and/or certification from an accredited university program and contains a seal from the NWA or AMS along with sufficient work in the field is generally considered to be a meteorologist in the broadcast community.

The National Weather Association awards scholarships and grants to mostly undergraduate students but do award some scholarships and grants to graduate students majoring in meteorology or a related field of study.