Ariel Cohen (BS, atmospheric sciences, 2006) is exactly where he’s always wanted to be — at NOAA’s National Weather Service’s (NWS) Storm Prediction Center in Norman, Oklahoma — doing exactly what he’s always wanted to do — forecasting weather. For the mesoscale assistant and fire weather forecaster, meteorology is an obsession.

“My fascination with severe thunderstorms, and meteorology in general, developed from a deep-seated fear of thunderstorms,” said Cohen. “Knowing their potentially destructive power instilled a sense of fear in me, yet also motivated me to learn more about the weather and how it can be forecast.”

A native of Worthington, Ohio, Cohen began laying the groundwork for a career in weather forecasting in middle school, when he became friends with the science and operations officer at the NWS Tulsa office,  who went on to become a mentor to Cohen. In high school, Cohen volunteered at the NWS Tulsa office during one of the most active tornado seasons of the decade.

“My childhood dream of reading dozens and dozens of severe thunderstorm and tornado warnings live on NOAA Weather Radio came true,” Cohen said.

After graduating high school, Cohen enrolled in Ohio State’s Atmospheric Sciences Program.

“Ohio State was the perfect institution for me given the quality of the atmospheric sciences program,” said Cohen. “The combination of academic rigor, opportunities to foster strong relationships with outstanding faculty and the wide variety of multidisciplinary coursework made for a perfect fit.”

During the summer prior to Cohen’s final year at Ohio State, he performed research at the Storm Prediction Center and NOAA National Severe Storms Laboratory, studying the severity of mesoscale convective systems — complexes of thunderstorms that become organized on a large scale. Cohen’s goal of working at the center was reaffirmed that summer, and he was encouraged to go onto graduate school at the University of Oklahoma, where he earned an MS and PhD in meteorology.

He has been at NOAA’s Storm Prediction Center since 2011, where he is responsible for preparing mesoscale convective discussions as well as general thunderstorm, enhanced thunderstorm, fire weather and convective outlooks.

“The opportunity to merge my passion in meteorology with my desire to help protect people makes my job exciting,” Cohen said. “Performing science-advancing research has tremendous meaning to me, as being a pioneer in science, while also collaborating with other meteorologists is what allows our knowledge of meteorology to grow.”