METOC Analyst Forecaster

You are the boots-on-deck weather observer and data collector. Everything the watch officer briefs starts with the raw observations you encode correctly.

Stand watch at the METOC facility encoding METARs and SYNOPs on schedule, launch radiosondes, read AWS outputs, log PIREPs from inbound pilots, and maintain the station equipment log. You are not forecasting yet — you are building the data pipeline that forecasters depend on. Miss a balloon launch window or fat-finger a dewpoint, and the TAF downstream is garbage. Learn to read skew-T diagrams before your seniors have to tell you twice.

• 01METAR encoding, radiosonde launch procedure, AWS data retrieval, PIREP logging, skew-T/log-P basics, watch schedule discipline

• —NAVMETOCCOM Observer Certification requirements; WMO No. 8 Guide to Meteorological Instruments and Methods of Observation; unit SOP for surface observation scheduling

• —Hourly and special METARs encoded and transmitted on time; radiosonde data successfully uploaded to JMASS; no encoding errors on safety-of-flight products

• —Rounding visibility incorrectly in restricted conditions; misidentifying cloud types for METAR sky condition groups; failing to log equipment calibration discrepancies that corrupt the data record

A LCpl who can launch a radiosonde solo, correctly encode a complex METAR with embedded CB and variable winds, and brief the raw skew-T to the duty forecaster without prompting. That Marine is forecaster-track. The ones who treat observation as clerical work never get past it.

You are a qualified observer moving into assisted forecasting. You own the watch when the Sergeant steps out, and your TAFs had better hold up.

Produce terminal aerodrome forecasts for assigned airfields under senior supervision, encode and transmit METARs and SYNOPs, interpret weather radar and satellite imagery for developing weather, and begin integrating JMASS model guidance with your own analysis. You support aviation briefings and coordinate with the MAW operations center on flight-weather impacts. At this tier you are expected to recognize fog formation potential, icing levels, and convective triggers before they show up on radar — not after.

• 01TAF production, JMASS model interpretation, radar and satellite analysis, fog/icing diagnosis, aviation weather briefing, METWATCH coordination

• —NAVMETOCCOM Forecaster Certification criteria; FAA Advisory Circular AC 00-45 (Aviation Weather Services); NWS Instruction 10-813 (TAF procedures); unit IDP for forecaster qualification

• —TAFs issued within required lead time with accurate confidence windows; forecast verification scores tracked against unit standard; aviation weather briefings completed before scheduled brief time

• —Over-relying on model output without local terrain correction; issuing TAF amendments too late after conditions change; conflating SIGMET content with what belongs in a unit ops weather brief

A Cpl who voluntarily pulls the previous 30 days of forecast verifications, identifies their own pattern — always busts morning fog burn-off timing — and adjusts their technique. That self-correction instinct is what separates a forecaster from a model-repeater.

You are a credentialed forecaster and the watch supervisor. The junior Marines learn the trade by watching how you work a developing weather situation.

Supervise the observation watch, produce and amend TAFs and area forecasts, integrate JMASS with NWP model ensembles, and deliver aviation and ground weather briefings to supported units. You are the liaison between the METOC section and the aviation ops officer when weather is marginal. Maintain the station's forecast verification log, manage observer certification currency, and identify training gaps in junior Marines before they show up in a product error. For expeditionary deployments you stand up the weather section from cases and have it functional before the first sortie launches.

• 01Watch supervision, NWP ensemble integration, marginal weather decision support, unit training management, expeditionary setup, verification analysis

• —NAVMETOCCOM Forecaster of Record standards; Marine Corps Order on METOC support to aviation; Joint Publication 3-59 (Meteorological and Oceanographic Operations)

• —No undetected TAF amendments that affect flight safety; 100% observer certification currency in assigned section; expeditionary setup time within unit-specified limit

• —Briefing model output as forecast without communicating model uncertainty; failing to coordinate METWATCH upgrades with the Wing ops center before they happen; letting observer training atrophy during garrison periods

A Sgt who runs a post-event weather debrief after every marginal-weather flight day — not to cover themselves, but to make the section better. Prints the skew-T, compares it to what actually happened, annotates it, and keeps it in the training file. That section produces fewer busted TAFs every cycle.

You are the senior forecaster and NCOIC of the METOC section. You own the product quality, the personnel readiness, and the relationship with the supported commander.

Lead the METOC section for a MAW, MEF, or ship-based detachment. You are the forecaster of record on the highest-consequence products — the ones that decide whether a MEU launches helos in marginal sea state or whether an MEF ground commander adjusts the movement timeline. Manage the section's certification program, interface with NAVMETOCCOM for product dissemination, and coordinate with joint METOC partners during combined operations. Develop section SOPs, manage JMASS and AWS maintenance schedules, and produce the weather annexes to operational plans.

• 01Section NCOIC duties, forecaster of record responsibility, OPLAN weather annex production, joint METOC coordination, NAVMETOCCOM liaison, equipment maintenance management

• —JP 3-59; NAVMETOCCOM Command Instructions; Marine Corps Planning Process (MCPP) for weather annex integration; applicable combatant command weather standards for AOR

• —Zero certification lapses at inspection; weather annexes completed NLT planning timeline; section ready for expeditionary deployment within unit readiness window; all forecast errors reviewed and documented

• —Writing a weather annex that mirrors the commander's intent instead of honestly characterizing weather risk; not pushing back when the ops officer asks for a forecast that the data doesn't support; letting certification paperwork slide because the operational tempo is high

An SSgt who briefs the MEU commander "I don't recommend the launch window between 0200 and 0400 — the fog probability is high based on the last three nights' sounding data, and the model is underforecasting it" and is correct. Not always popular. Always necessary.

You are the senior enlisted METOC advisor at the MEF or MAW level, and your reach extends from section-level training to joint weather coordination.

Serve as senior METOC advisor to the G-2 or wing staff, oversee multiple METOC sections across the formation, mentor SSgts in section leadership, and ensure METOC support is integrated into the full operational planning cycle from MAGTF-level exercises through real-world contingencies. Manage the MOS training pipeline for the command — ensure Marines are tracking for advancement, forecaster certification, and follow-on schools. Coordinate with NAVMETOCCOM, Fleet Weather Centers, and Army and Air Force weather units in joint environments. You are the person senior officers call when they want a straight answer about weather risk.

• 01Multi-section oversight, MAGTF weather integration, senior mentorship, joint weather coordination, OPT participation, MOS training pipeline management

• —JP 3-59; NAVMETOCCOM operational instruction library; relevant combatant command meteorological standards; USMC MOS roadmap for 6842

• —All subordinate sections forecaster-of-record qualified; METOC input delivered at every OPT on schedule; joint weather coordination documented and current; no MOS proficiency gaps at command inspection

• —Becoming a staff bureaucrat who doesn't know the current state of the science; delegating so far that you lose situational awareness of what the sections are actually forecasting; failing to translate meteorological complexity into commander's risk language

A GySgt who can walk into any of the command's sections, sit down at JMASS, run the morning analysis, and still produce a product that holds up — and who does it periodically so the junior Marines know the GySgt isn't just a briefer.

You are the senior enlisted leader of the METOC community in the Marine Corps. You set the standard for how the MOS develops, trains, and supports the warfighter at every level.

At MSgt/MGySgt: serve as the senior METOC enlisted advisor at the highest organizational levels — Marine Forces Command, Marine Forces Pacific, or equivalent. Shape policy for METOC equipment modernization, training standards, and joint interoperability. Represent Marine Corps METOC equities in joint forums with NAVMETOCCOM, Air Force 2nd Weather Group, and Army weather. Ensure the MOS has a viable career path, school pipeline, and retention narrative. At 1stSgt/SgtMaj: lead the Marines of a METOC-heavy battalion or group through the full enlisted leadership spectrum — welfare, discipline, morale, advancement, and mission readiness — while ensuring METOC professionals are developed, not just employed.

• 01Community-level policy development, joint METOC advocacy, senior leader advisory, career management and retention, equipment modernization oversight, interagency coordination

• —JP 3-59; HQMC METOC policy publications; NAVMETOCCOM strategic guidance; relevant POM/PPBE documentation for METOC capability investment

• —MOS retention and advancement rates at or above Marine Corps average; modernization programs on schedule and on brief; joint partners can integrate with Marine METOC sections without friction; no training pipeline gaps at the command level

• —Losing touch with what JMASS actually does in the field because every brief you receive is already synthesized; fighting for legacy systems because they're familiar rather than advocating for what the joint force is moving toward; mistaking administrative seniority for technical authority

A SgtMaj who stands in front of a Marine at the MCB weather section and asks them to walk through their last TAF verification — not to inspect, but to remember what the job costs at the deck-plate level. That's the leader who writes the right policy.