For the Love of Weather

Like many meteorologists, Jeremy Davis’ love of weather started early.

“It’s science you can see every day. It’s accessible. The meteorologists I know all say they got the bug when they were really young and never looked back. I always knew what I wanted to do,” he says.

From the time he was 7 years old, Davis watched tropical updates on the Weather Channel and tracked and charted storm systems. The Chelmsford native, now a marine weather forecaster, says his early fascination with weather led him straight to the Discovery Museum.

As a 16 year old in 1994, he spent three days a week working on the floor of the museum as an “Explainer,” talking with visitors about weather as they explored the Mist Tornado and Sea of Clouds exhibits.

“It’s not too often as a science kid, you get to work at a science museum,” he says. “It was right up my alley.”

After high school, Davis came back to the museum as a volunteer during summers and school vacations. In the six years he spent working here, Davis says he learned how to talk about science with people of all ages and backgrounds.

“It was fun working with everybody and explaining things in different ways depending on who you’re talking to,” he says.

This skill, Davis says, proved invaluable as he progressed through school and established his career. His ability to communicate publicly about science helped him secure his “dream” internship during college at the Mt. Washington Observatory, where he led tours, worked with volunteers, and recorded weather data.

“It’s a mecca for meteorologists. It’s a place to experience the real awe of Mother Nature,” he says.

In his current job, at Weather Routing Inc. in Glens Falls, NY, Davis is one of about 30 scientists forecasting weather for commercial fleets, cruise ships, ferries, and yachts all over the world. On a daily basis this involves communicating with ship crews and routing them from port to port the safest and fastest way possible, including directing vessels away from devastating hurricanes such as Harvey and Irma this past summer.

Davis has now worked as a marine forecaster for 17 years and still maintains his early passion for weather.

“No matter what you want to do with your life, that spark of curiosity will carry you forward,” he says. “There’s no reason that learning can’t be a blast.”