Weather at Florida Tech

I saw a sign on the side of I-95 said “Welcome to the Sunshine State!” when I first drove down to school for orientation last year.

As much as other people think that Florida is always sunny, it really isn’t! Now true, the winter here is phenomenally comfortable and sunny quite a lot. All too often it rains here. Sometimes for days on end and other times for less than 10 minutes in a day with sunny skies the rest of the day.

Being in a meteorology major (Aviation Meteorology with Flight) is so informative for actually understanding what a world we are living in. Flying in it and living in it, Florida’s weather affects all of us who live here.

The Courses

Meteorology at Florida Tech is not a “walk-through” major; it is not an easy major to get through college with, but it is such a rewarding major. The beginning classes for it can be an eye opener for incoming freshmen, it certainly was for me. Physics 1 and Calculus 1 specifically. They are not easy at first but by all means very manageable as classes go. I re-arranged my schedule for the second semester of freshman year and took Meteorology 1. I can officially say that at the end of my second semester I was able to accurately make short range forecasts for the area. Now whenever friends go to the beach or are planning for flights they call me first to get a ‘Phil Forecast’! On a side note, the weather in Florida is great in that half the year the weather is run by daily breezes and the other half is run by large systems that sweep through the U.S., so we really get the best of both weather worlds throughout a year!

Mixin’ in some flying

I can’t tell you how happy I am to be studying this major, especially here at Florida Tech. Learning about weather and all its peculiarities is one thing, but being able to see it at work is another entirely. For the first time in my education dating back to kindergarten in elementary school, I am using what I learn in school every day. Ever been in math and thought, “why do we need to know this stuff?” Well why do I need to know meteorology? All my flights I use what I learn in class to stay safe and to plan my flights more efficiently. Even my friends benefit from my education, like I mentioned above, they like to get their unofficial weather outlook briefing from me as well.

I’ve never heard of a more appropriate place to learn a skill and use it all at once. The Meteorology and Aeronautical departments here prepare us all far above and beyond!

Photo Credit: James Cox