From Al Roker…to Tyler Hoss, the weather torch will be passed.
Hoss, a senior at Normal West High School, is taking his interest in weather to a whole new level.
He has studied meteorology videos, started his own Instagram account, and has even gone as far as shadowing at the National Weather Service both in Lincoln and Peoria with Chuck Collins, the chief meteorologist at WMBD.
At a very young age, Hoss was very interested in tornadoes.
Over the last two years, however, he has become even more interested in the variety of weather that his home state of Illinois gets.
His interest has even grown into a passion–leading him to pursue a career in meteorology.
His favorite part of it all is the science aspect of meteorology.
“There’s just a lot of interesting components to it, and there’s just a lot of information to know about the weather, and you can learn a lot about it each time something happens,” Hoss stated.
Some people may think that being a meteorologist looks easy, but there is a lot that goes into what we see on the TV.
In fact, much of the work comes in the study of the weather.
“I have multiple apps that give me updates on what is going to happen. I use model data that is submitted every day, and I also use the National Weather service.
There are many variables that go into the weather that can change up to the hour before. One factor that changes can change everything, so the variable that weathermen can’t see sometimes can really change up their forecast,” Hoss noted.
Understanding the importance of practice, Hoss has learned to love the process, whether its researching the weather, learning a new tool, or sharing his amateur findings with his audiences.
“I do weather forecasts a lot. I have a Snapchat story that updates, and then I recently made an Instagram that also sends weather updates. I’m always wanting to make those forecasts to kind of practice for a future job because I think it’s important to know what you’re doing and get familiar with the tools,” Hoss stated.
Hoss’s advice to younger forecasters is to find a group that has your same interests because they can get you farther by helping each other learn.
He advises any aspiring meteorologists to watch videos and observe weather as it happens because that’s the way he learned the best.
In ten years, Hoss sees himself on the research-side of the National Weather Service… or maybe at his dream job of working at the Storm Prediction Center in Norman, Oklahoma, a place that works strictly with severe weather.
Wherever he lands, Hoss’s future is looking bright.
For more information or interest in weather forecasts, check out Hoss’s Instagram, @TylerHossWx.
