Weather Merit Badge
Twelve requirements, with the week of observations or professional visit at requirement 10 drawn as a choice, the approved talk at requirement 11 fed from the safety rules of requirement 2, and the family discussion marked as often forgotten.
13 steps (2 parts inside them). 2 parts depend on questions you have not answered yet. · Version 1, published 8 October 2026 · About Weather Merit Badge
No questions answered
This is the whole plan: everything that could apply to anybody. Answering the question at the address above takes out the parts that are not for you.
Which of this applies to you
You have not answered anything yet, so this is the whole plan: everything that could apply to anybody. Answering one question will take out the parts that are not for you.
The steps
Stage 1 of 13
1 step
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1. Meteorology, weather and climate, and who depends on forecasts Requirement
How weather affects farmers, sailors, aviators and outdoor construction, and why forecasts matter to each.
Stage 2 of 13
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2. Five dangerous weather conditions and their safety rules Often forgotten Requirement
With the difference between a watch and a warning. Then discuss the safety rules with your family.
Stage 3 of 13
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3. Where to get forecasts and emergency warnings Requirement
Two forecast sources for outdoor activities, and two warning sources at home and at Scout outings.
Stage 4 of 13
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4. Pressure systems, and cross sections of two fronts Requirement
High and low pressure and the weather each brings. Draw a cold front and a warm front, with air movement, slope, clouds and precipitation.
Stage 5 of 13
1 step
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5. Wind, rain, lightning and hail Requirement
What causes each.
Stage 6 of 13
1 step
Stage 7 of 13
1 step
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7. Draw and explain the water cycle Requirement
A labelled diagram of its major processes.
Stage 8 of 13
1 step
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8. Human activity and the climate Requirement
How it can alter the environment, and the effect on climate and people.
Stage 9 of 13
1 step
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9. How the tilt of Earth's axis shapes climate Requirement
Near the equator, near the poles and in between.
Stage 10 of 13
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10. Observe the weather. Do ONE Requirement
The badge states the choice: an instrument and a week's log, or a visit to a weather professional.
2 parts
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10(a). Make an instrument and keep a daily log for a week Optional May not apply Often forgotten Seven days, with every entry at the same time of day. Make the instrument first, then start the week; a missed day means starting the week again. Note any morning dew or frost.
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Stage 11 of 13
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11. A five-minute safety talk to a group Often forgotten Requirement
Outdoor safety in lightning, flash floods and tornadoes, to your unit, a Cub Scout pack or similar. Your counselor approves the outline first.
Two things to arrange: your counselor's approval of your outline, which comes before the talk, and a group to give it to. The talk lasts at least five minutes.
Stage 12 of 13
1 step
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12. One career related to weather Requirement
Training and education, costs, prospects, salary, duties and advancement. An interview or a visit needs your parent or guardian's permission.
Stage 13 of 13
1 step
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Counselor signs it off Milestone
The completion date is the date you met the requirements, not the date of the signature.
Usually comes after 1. Meteorology, weather and climate, and who depends on forecasts, 2. Five dangerous weather conditions and their safety rules and 10 others.
Merit badge requirements are republished annually. A Scout beginning work uses the requirements as they stand then; a Scout already working may finish under the ones they started with. Guide to Advancement 7.0.4.3 governs which applies. This page records the date its copy was read. Check it against the official page before relying on it.
This plan is a planning aid: the current Boy Scouts of America publication is always the authority, and the sources used here are listed in full. Each step names its own.