Weather is something you deal with every day, and understanding it keeps you safe outdoors. You will learn how weather works, read the clouds, and see how forecasters make predictions. You might even build your own weather instrument.
Why it's worth it
Weather decides whether a campout is fun or miserable, and sometimes whether it's safe. Weather teaches you to read clouds, understand forecasts, and know what to do when a storm, heat wave, or blizzard shows up. You'll become the person your patrol trusts to check the sky before a hike, and you'll see how science, math, and computers come together to predict what happens next.
Start this week
- Go outside today, look at the clouds, and write down what you see and what the weather does over the next few hours.
- Ask your Scoutmaster for the name of a Weather counselor, and send them a short message with a parent copied to set up a first meeting.
- Check the forecast for your next troop outing from two different sources and compare them.
- Decide whether you'll build a weather instrument or visit a weather office for requirement 10, and start planning.
Stay safe
- Never chase storms; when you hear thunder, head to a building or hard-topped vehicle and wait until the storm has passed.
Requirements · 12
Every official requirement and part, numbered to match Scouting America, in plain language. Sign off against the official wording (opens in a new tab) (updated 2025).
- Requirement 1
Define meteorology, explain weather and climate, and discuss how weather affects farmers, sailors, pilots, and outdoor construction workers and why forecasts matter to each group
Tip: Use your own words to explain the difference between the weather today and the climate where you live.
- Requirement 2
Name five dangerous weather conditions and the outdoor safety rules for each, explain how a severe weather watch differs from a warning, and go over the safety rules with your family
Tip: Pick five dangerous weather types, like thunderstorms or blizzards, and list a safety rule for each.
For example: Pick five conditions you might face on Scout trips, like lightning, flash floods, extreme heat, tornadoes, and blizzards. For each, give one safety rule, like "When thunder roars, go indoors" or "Turn around, don't drown."
- Requirement 3
Identify at least two forecast sources to use when preparing for hikes, campouts, and other outdoor activities, and name two sources of emergency weather warnings at home and at outdoor Scout events
Tip: Compare a few forecast sources and pick the ones you'd check before a campout.
For example: Compare a National Weather Service forecast, a weather app, and a local TV station for the same weekend. Explain which you'd check before a campout and why, and how you'd watch for changes while on the trail.
- Requirement 4
Explain how high and low pressure systems differ and which one brings good or bad weather. Sketch a cross section of a warm front and one of a cold front, showing where cold and warm air sit and move, the frontal slope, cloud types and locations, and where precipitation falls
Tip: Watch a weather map on TV or online and look for the H and L symbols.
- Requirement 5
Explain what makes wind blow, what makes rain fall, and how lightning and hail form
Tip: Look up how lightning and hail form, and watch what the wind and rain do during the next storm.
- Requirement 6
Identify and describe low-, middle-, and high-level clouds and the kinds of weather each is linked to
Tip: Take photos of clouds for a week and match them with the weather that followed.
For example: Keep a cloud log for a week with a sketch or photo of each day's sky. Match each to a type, like cumulus, stratus, or cumulonimbus, and note what weather followed.
- Requirement 7
Draw and label a diagram of the water cycle's main processes and explain the cycle to your counselor
Tip: Draw the water cycle and explain it to a family member.
- Requirement 8
Identify some human activities that change the environment and describe their effects on climate and people
Tip: Talk about how people affect climate and how climate affects people's lives.
- Requirement 9
Describe how the tilt of Earth's axis helps shape climate near the equator, near the poles, and in between
Tip: Use a ball and flashlight to show how Earth's tilt causes seasons.
- Requirement 10
Weather observation. Choose 1 of 2
Tips for this section: Build a simple rain gauge or wind vane, or arrange a visit to a National Weather Service office.
Example for this section: Build a rain gauge from a straight-sided clear container with a ruler taped to the side, or a wind vane from a straw, a pin, and cardboard. For a week, record your readings at the same time each day, along with the forecast and what actually happened.
- Requirement 10a
Make a wind vane, anemometer, rain gauge, or hygrometer. For a week, log at the same time daily, using it plus radio, TV, NOAA Weather Radio, or internet (with permission): wind direction and speed, temperature, precipitation, clouds, and any dew or frost. Also log each day's forecast and what really happened
- Requirement 10b
Go to a National Weather Service office, or interview a local TV or radio weathercaster, private meteorologist, agricultural extension officer, or university meteorology instructor. Learn what weather most threatens your community and how severe weather and flood warnings reach local homes
- Requirement 11
Give a talk lasting five minutes or more to a group (for example, your unit or a Cub Scout pack) on outdoor safety during lightning, flash floods, and tornadoes. Get your counselor's approval of your outline first
Tip: Practice your talk in front of family and keep it focused on staying safe outdoors.
For example: Plan a five-minute talk for your troop or a Cub Scout pack on lightning, flash floods, and tornadoes: how to tell danger is coming, where to go, and what to do if you're caught outside. Get your counselor's OK on your outline, then practice once with a timer.
- Requirement 12
Explore careers in meteorology and weather. Research one: training, education, costs, job outlook, pay, duties, and advancement (searches, interviews, or visits need a parent's or guardian's OK). Discuss with your counselor what you found and what makes it interesting to you
Tip: Ask a TV meteorologist or weather service staff how they got started.
Places to visit
Ask an adult to set it up, and go with your family, den, patrol, or crew.
A National Weather Service forecast office
You'll see how forecasters use radar, satellites, and computer models, and possibly watch a weather balloon launch.
How: Have a leader contact your area's forecast office through its website and ask about group tours or talks.
A TV station weather center
Broadcast meteorologists can show you how they turn data into a forecast people understand.
How: Have a leader email the station and ask whether a meteorologist could host your troop or visit a meeting.
Where it can lead
- ForecasterPredicts weather for government agencies, airlines, energy companies, or the military.
- Broadcast meteorologistExplains weather to the public on TV, radio, or online.
- Climate scientistStudies long-term patterns and how climate is changing.
- Military weather specialistSupports flight and mission planning; a path open right after high school.
- Storm researcherStudies tornadoes, hurricanes, and severe storms to improve warnings.
Ask yourself
- When has weather changed a plan you had, and how did you handle it?
- Which kind of weather do you find most interesting, and why?
- How well did your cloud observations predict what happened next?
- How will you decide whether it's safe to keep going on a hike when the sky changes?
- What weather question do you still wonder about?
Good questions to ask a meteorologist
- How do you put together a forecast each day?
- What's the hardest kind of weather to predict, and why?
- What's the most extreme weather you've ever tracked?
- What should a Scout troop watch for when camping in thunderstorm season?
- What classes and skills does a meteorologist need?
Helpful reads
- Earning a merit badge, step by step, From picking a badge to getting the final signature: how to find a counselor, set up meetings safely, work the requirements, and keep your progress., Youth · Families · 6 min read
- Contacting counselors, experts, and organizations, Email and phone scripts, who to ask for, how to follow up, and how to say thanks, with a parent copied every time., Youth · Families · 7 min read
- Choosing your next merit badge, How to pick a badge you'll actually finish: start with what you care about, balance Eagle-required and just-for-fun badges, and make the most of camp., Youth · Families · 6 min read
For leaders & parents
- Have scouts check the forecast and plan for weather before every outing.
- Arrange a visit to a local weather office or TV station.
People & places that can help
- Merit badge counselor — Talk with them early; they can explain what's expected.
- National Weather Service (opens in a new tab) — Forecasts, safety tips, and learning resources.
- NOAA (opens in a new tab) — Information about weather and climate.
- UCAR Center for Science Education (opens in a new tab) — Interactive explanations of clouds, storms, and climate.
- NOAA National Severe Storms Laboratory (opens in a new tab) — How tornadoes, hail, and lightning form, and how scientists study them.
- Storm Prediction Center (opens in a new tab) — Daily outlooks for severe weather across the U.S.
Pairs well with
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Tips, examples, and questions are ideas from experienced leaders, not extra requirements. Your unit leader or counselor decides when a requirement is complete.