What does an aviation weather observer do?

Aviation weather observers detect and track weather conditions and provide real-time weather forecasts, which you use to augment and backup the Automated Surface Observing System (ASOS). ASOS is a nationwide network used by the National Weather Service, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), and the Department of Defense (DoD) to monitor weather activity and help with aviation, climate, and other weather-related research operations. Weather measurements include wind speed and direction, temperature, visibility, precipitation, and air pressure. Your findings as a weather observer allow airlines to select a safer flight pattern to avoid weather conditions or make appropriate decisions such as delaying or canceling a flight. They also help NASA and other governmental agencies determine different atmospheric conditions for various research projects. If ASOS experiences an outage due to extreme weather conditions, you are responsible for manually documenting your observations until ASOS is operational again.