Fabulous Female Meteorologists

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (KCRG) - It’s Women’s History Month! Here are a few Fabulous Female Meteorologists who paved the way for future women interested in studying meteorology.

First up is Dr. Joanne Simpson who was born in 1923 and died in 2010. She taught meteorology to aviation cadets during World War II. She was also the first woman to earn a PH.D. in Meteorology. Dr. Simpson was the Chief Scientist Emeritus for Meteorology for NASA’s Earth Sun Exploration Division. She also made several research breakthroughs in cloud modeling and tropical meteorology.

June Bacon-Bercey, who lived from 1928 to 2019, was the first female broadcast meteorologist and the first African American female broadcast meteorologist. She was also the first woman to receive the AMS Seal of Approval. June taught at traditionally black colleges to inspire minorities to study meteorology.

Ada Monzon is the Chief Meteorologist for WAPA TV in Puerto Rico and was the First Female Meteorologist from Puerto Rico. She provided crucial information to Puerto Rico during Hurricanes Irma and Maria.

Last, but not least, is Ginger Zee. She is the First Female Chief Meteorologist on a Network and is the Chief Meteorologist for ABC. She pioneered live disaster coverage and has gone live from Hurricane Sandy, both wildfires and floods in Colorado, and went live during the aftermath of tornadoes in Oklahoma. She also works to inspire kids to study STEM fields. In addition to her work as a meteorologist, Ginger Zee is also a mother of two.

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