National Weather Service Boston, MA

A look at the NWS Boston/Norton Weather Forecast Office

Our Mission

The National Weather Service (NWS) is a federal agency under the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), which is part of the Department of Commerce (DOC). Our primary mission is provide weather, water and climate data, forecasts, warnings, and impact-based decision support services for the protection of life and property and enhancement of the national economy. At NWS Boston we provide timely, accurate warnings and forecasts for southern New England and maintain records to leave a valuable legacy of climate data. We are leaders in science research, training, and outreach.

picture of Boston

What We Do

The National Weather Service (NWS) in Norton, Massachusetts is staffed 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. The meteorologists, support staff, technicians, and administrative staff work hard to maintain our equipment, radars, weather radios, and observation programs while forecasting weather and water.

NWS Boston Office

At the NWS Boston Weather Forecast Office (WFO) our County Warning Area (CWA) covers a large portion of Southern New England including most of Massachusetts, all of Rhode Island, and a portion of Connecticut. It stretches from the slopes of the Berkshires to the shores of Cape Cod. Our office is one of 122 WFOs across the United States and its territories.

Map of eastern region Weather Forecast Offices

The primary duties at our office are to observe and forecast the weather for the next 7 days and to issue watches and warnings ahead of impactful weather.

nws boston office

Our office is unique in that it is co-located with the Northeast River Forecast Center. This allows for streamlined collaboration with the hydrologists tasked with providing river and flood forecasts and basic hydrologic forecast information.

We also work closely with the Center Weather Service Unit (CWSU) in Nashua, New Hampshire. The nation's 21 CWSUs concentrate fully on aviation weather for the Air Route Traffic Control Center (ARTCC) producing specialized, tailored forecasts and advisories of thunderstorms, turbulence, icing, and precipitation affecting the National Air Space system.

At NWS Boston, we are focused on providing aviation forecasts for southern New England including individualized forecasts for 9 airports including: Boston, Bedford, Providence, Hartford, Westfield, Worcester, Falmouth, Hyannis, and Nantucket.

Our marine forecast program is focused on serving our commercial mariners and recreational boaters with  wind and wave forecasts  for the Massachusetts and Rhode Island coastal waters. We often collaborate with entities such as the Massachusetts Steamship Authority and the U.S. Coast Guard.

Our fire weather program focuses on providing forecasts of things like wind, relative humidity, and temperature for use by state fire officials for: prescribed burns, brush & forest fires, and burning permits.

An ever growing focus of the National Weather Service is on what we call Impact-Based Decision Support Services (IDSS). IDSS are forecast advice and interpretative services that we provide to core partners, such as emergency managers and public safety officials, to help them make decisions when weather, water and climate impacts the lives and livelihoods of Americans. This can be on-site or virtual (over the phone or by video). We also have deployed, at the request of emergency management agencies, to Emergency Operations Centers for large public events like the Boston Marathon, Boston Pops 4th of July Celebration, and the Newport Jazz Festival.

Our Outreach and Education program allows us to get out into the community for things like grade school classroom visits, guest lectures at local colleges, and Skywarn Storm Spotter classes for the general public.

Working for NWS Boston

The NWS Boston Weather Forecast Office is actually located about 25 miles southwest of Boston in the town of Norton, MA.

We are staffed 24/7/365. This means that our operational meteorologists work rotating shifts including some nights, weekends, and holidays. However, there are several other types of positions that require little or no shift work.

NWS Boston office

NWS Boston is managed by the Meteorologist-in-Charge (MIC). Additional management personnel include the Warning Coordination Meteorologist and the Science and Operations Officer. The Observation Program Leader is in charge of the data acquisition program. Operational personnel includes 13 meteorologists (5 lead meteorologists, 8 meteorologists). The Senior Service Hydrologist manages the river program for Southern New England. The Boston office is supported by a talented team including the Electronics Systems Analyst, Information Technology Officer, 4 Electronics Technicians, and an Administrative Support Assistant.

(Drag the SWIPE tool left-and-right to reveal names and positions.)

Organizational chart of the NWS Weather Forecast Office in Boston, MA.

NWS Boston Meteorologists come from all across the country! Here's a look at where we attended college.

History of the Office

timeline of the NWS Boston office

Living In Southern New England

We like to think that living in southern New England offers a little bit of everything.

pictures of Boston, a beach on Cape Cod, and the White Mountains

Being near Boston comes with all the perks of a big city, like amazing restaurants, a lively music and arts scene, many sporting events, and lots of history.

Boston in the Fall

If you're looking for city life at a bit of a slower pace, Providence is only a half hour from the office as well.

Providence, Rhode Island

We have teams in the MLB, NFL, NBA, NHL, and MLS, not to mention the many minor league and other smaller sports teams around southern New England.

Outside of the city you'll find that living in a region surrounded on two sides by ocean has its perks; namely, countless beaches within a 1 to 2 hour drive.

If it's mountains you're looking for, look no further. The Berkshires in western Massachusetts offer plenty of hiking opportunities, as do the White Mountains in New Hampshire and the Green Mountains in Vermont - only a few hours away. Then there are the Adirondacks a bit farther away, in eastern New York.

Perhaps one of the best aspects of living in New England is that we experience all four seasons.

Lastly, working at the NWS Boston Forecast Office means you'll be joining a family! There is little turnover here because once people arrive, they realize what a great place southern New England is and settle in with their families.

Climatology

Here's a look at the temperature and Precipitation Normals for Boston, MA

Boston Climatology

Temperature and Precipitation Normals for Hartford, CT

Hartford Climatology

Temperature and Precipitation Normals for Providence, RI

Providence, RI Climatology

Interested in Applying?

Looking to join our team?

Management and Support Staff Vacancies: One Observation Program Leader. One Information Technology Officer. One assistant Electronic System Analyst.

Lead Meteorologist Vacancies: One vacant position.

Meteorologist Vacancies: One vacant position.

If you do not see a vacancy posted on USA Jobs, it means the vacancy applications have been received and the application process is closed OR the job has not been posted yet.

Federal Employment

Government Salaries (GS) information can be found publicly. Here is the salary range for federal employees working at NWS Boston.

As of October 2020, the Department of Commerce is now offering government employees 12 weeks of paid paternal leave. To learn more, click on the button below.

Additional Benefits include a TSP, health and life insurance, and retirement/pension.


Thank you for your interest in NWS Boston!

Any questions can be sent to  box.webmaster@noaa.gov 

For information about this Story Map, please email   bryce.williams@noaa.gov  .