Meteorology & Severe Weather Scholarships (2026): 22 Verified Scholarships, Fellowships, and Grants
January
NSF SOARS
Why It Slaps: This is one of the smartest long-game opportunities in the weather world if you are building toward research, graduate school, or a serious atmospheric-science career. It is not just a one-time check. SOARS combines summer research, mentoring, community, and conference support, which makes it especially valuable for students who want more than surface-level résumé padding. If you are aiming at severe storms, climate, forecasting, modeling, or Earth-system science, this can change your trajectory fast.
Amount: Comprehensive financial support for summer research and conference travel.
Deadline: January 21, 2026 was the posted date on Rutgers’ meteorology opportunity list; the official SOARS site currently shows the cycle as closed.
Apply/info: Official page.
AMS Graduate Fellowships
Why It Slaps: If you are entering your first year of grad school, this is one of the biggest brand-name weather fellowships to chase. It is not only about the money. The AMS signal, annual-meeting access, and professional network can matter a lot for students moving into forecasting, research, modeling, climate, or atmospheric data work. This is a real career-door-opener, not just a line item.
Amount: Stipend varies by sponsor, from $5,000 to $26,000, plus partial travel support to attend the AMS Annual Meeting.
Deadline: January 23, 2026.
Apply/info: Official page.
NOAA Ernest F. Hollings Undergraduate Scholarship
Why It Slaps: This is one of the best federal options for atmospheric-science students because it blends scholarship money with a paid NOAA internship and conference support. That means you are not only funding school, you are also building direct agency experience in oceanic and atmospheric science, research, technology, policy, or education. For students who want forecasting, climate, public service, research, or government science pathways, this is a heavyweight opportunity.
Amount: Up to $9,500 per academic year for two years, plus a 10-week paid NOAA internship and travel/conference support.
Deadline: Application period runs September to January each year.
Apply/info: Official page.
NOAA EPP/MSI Undergraduate Scholarship
Why It Slaps: For students at Minority Serving Institutions, this is one of the most practical and generous NOAA-connected funding lanes in the field. The value is not just the award amount. You also get two NOAA internships, which can seriously boost your chances in weather, climate, satellite, environmental, and federal science pathways. If you fit the institutional eligibility, this belongs near the top of your list.
Amount: Up to $9,500 per year for two academic years, plus two 10-week paid summer internships at NOAA.
Deadline: Application period runs September to January each year.
Apply/info: Official page.
February
The Richard Grotjahn Research Fellowship in Extremes
Why It Slaps: This is one of the cleanest direct fits for students who specifically care about severe weather, extreme climate, extreme-event forecasting, or the methods used to study those events. It is narrow in a good way. If your work touches tornado environments, heavy rainfall, heat, extreme climate diagnostics, or forecasting/statistical techniques for extremes, this fellowship is built for that lane. For the right grad student, this is one of the strongest field-specific picks on the board.
Amount: $10,000 stipend.
Deadline: February 1, 2026.
Apply/info: Official page.
AMS First-Year Undergraduate Scholarship
Why It Slaps: This is one of the best direct hits for high school seniors heading into meteorology or a related atmospheric, oceanic, or hydrologic major. It is clean, respected, and field-specific, which matters because too many students waste time chasing generic scholarships with weak fit. If you want the most obvious “I’m serious about weather science” scholarship for freshman year, this is one of the first ones to circle.
Amount: $5,000 total, paid as $2,500 for freshman year and $2,500 for sophomore year if first-year progress is successful.
Deadline: February 6, 2026.
Apply/info: Official page.
March
Tim Samaras Scholarship
Why It Slaps: This one lands especially well for students who care about operational meteorology, severe-weather research, tornado science, or storm-focused fieldwork. The Tim Samaras name gives it instant credibility in the severe-weather lane, and the scholarship is targeted enough that it feels more relevant than a generic science award. For students building a storm-chasing, forecasting, or severe-weather research identity, this is a very good niche fit.
Amount: $1,500
Deadline: March 2, 2026.
Apply/info: Official page.
Pam Daale Scholarship
Why It Slaps: This is a strong pick for students leaning broadcast or operational meteorology, especially if you want an award that actually understands weather communication as a career lane. It is also one of the more student-friendly niche weather scholarships because the eligibility is straightforward and the fit is clear. If you want a scholarship that rewards students who can do the science and communicate it, this deserves a hard look.
Amount: $1,500
Deadline: March 2, 2026.
Apply/info: Official page.
NWAF Meteorological Satellite Applications Award Grant
Why It Slaps: Students interested in satellite meteorology, remote sensing, applied weather imagery, and modern forecasting tools should absolutely track this one. It is one of the most on-theme opportunities for students whose weather interests are more satellite and data driven than purely broadcast or synoptic forecasting. It is a niche grant, but that niche is exactly why it can be worth chasing.
Amount: The current public 2026 application page does not publicly display the amount.
Deadline: March 26, 2026. The 2026 page is now closed.
Apply/info: Official page.
April
AMS Senior Named Scholarships
Why It Slaps: This is one of the biggest umbrella opportunities in atmospheric science for undergrads entering their final year. It matters because AMS is not dangling one tiny award here. It is a cluster of named scholarships, which gives strong students multiple ways to match into support. If you are a junior headed into senior year and you want one of the most important professional-society applications in the field, this is it.
Amount: Approximately 21 awards, ranging from $2,000 to $10,000.
Deadline: April 1, 2026.
Apply/info: Official page.
Verner E. Suomi Scholarship Award
Why It Slaps: This is a very smart early-career target for high school seniors drawn to satellite meteorology, remote sensing, climate, applied physics, or atmospheric science. The Suomi name carries real weight in satellite meteorology, so this scholarship has more than just dollar value. It also gives strong students a sharper story when they apply to weather, climate, or remote-sensing programs.
Amount: $3,000
Deadline: April 17, 2026.
Apply/info: Official page.
May
David Sankey Minority Scholarship in Meteorology
Why It Slaps: This is one of the best direct-fit awards for minority students already in the pipeline for meteorology or atmospheric science. It is not vague STEM money. It is specifically built for weather-related study, which means your essays, coursework, internships, and goals line up naturally with the application. That makes it especially efficient for strong-fit students.
Amount: $1,000
Deadline: May 21, 2026. Recommendation deadline is June 4, 2026.
Apply/info: Official page.
Dr. Roderick A. Scofield Meteorology Scholarship
Why It Slaps: This is a strong fit for upper-level undergrads and grad students who are serious about meteorology and want a clean, field-specific award without a lot of fluff. It is especially appealing for students with forecasting, operational, satellite, or applied weather interests because the scholarship sits firmly inside the professional meteorology space. This is the kind of award that makes more sense to chase than a random national STEM contest.
Amount: Up to $1,000
Deadline: May 21, 2026. Recommendation deadline is June 4, 2026.
Apply/info: Official page.
Ken Reeves Memorial AccuWeather Undergraduate Scholarship
Why It Slaps: This is a very solid weather-major scholarship for current undergrads because it is targeted, practical, and connected to a recognizable weather industry name. It works especially well for traditional meteorology students who want a direct-fit award rather than a broad environmental scholarship. If you are already in a meteorology program and need another credible application in your mix, this is worth doing.
Amount: Up to $1,000
Deadline: May 21, 2026.
Apply/info: Official page.
NWAF Broadcast Meteorology Scholarship
Why It Slaps: This is one of the most direct scholarships in the country for students who want to be on camera and do weather communication for a living. It is especially useful because it does not just say “broadcast” in the title. The application actually asks for weathercasts, which means students with real communication chops can stand out on fit, not just GPA. For broadcast weather students, this one should be treated like a priority application.
Amount: Up to $1,000
Deadline: May 21, 2026. Recommendation deadline is June 4, 2026.
Apply/info: Official page.
Bob Glahn Scholarship in Statistical Meteorology
Why It Slaps: If your meteorology brain leans statistical, model-evaluation heavy, forecast verification oriented, or data-science coded, this is one of the best niche fits out there. It is unusually specific, and that is exactly why it is powerful. Students doing probabilistic forecasting, data methods, applied statistics, or weather analytics should see this as a premium-target award.
Amount: $2,500
Deadline: May 21, 2026.
Apply/info: Official page.
David Freeman NWA Past President’s Fund
Why It Slaps: This is not tuition money, but do not sleep on it. For students trying to break into the weather profession, getting to a major NWA meeting can lead to networking, mentorship, conference exposure, and internship conversations that are hard to replicate online. For the right student, this can produce more career return than a tiny tuition scholarship.
Amount: Up to $1,000 in travel support, with registration covered by NWA for recipients.
Deadline: May 21, 2026. Recommendations due June 4, 2026.
Apply/info: Official page.
June
Henry E. Fleming Scholarship Fund
Why It Slaps: Students interested in satellite meteorology or remote sensing should pay attention to this one because it rewards a very specific academic direction. That specificity is a good thing. A focused scholarship can be easier to win when your coursework, research interests, and grad-school plans clearly align. For juniors and seniors building toward remote sensing or satellite work, this is a sharp fit.
Amount: The current UMD page does not publicly list the award amount.
Deadline: June 30.
Apply/info: Official page.
Louis Allen Memorial Scholarship Fund in Meteorology
Why It Slaps: This is a small award, but it is highly targeted and that makes it valuable. It is built for students with an interest in meteorology or weather forecasting and includes a Washington metro residency angle, which narrows the pool in a useful way. Small, direct-fit scholarships are often worth applying for because they take less time and face less chaos than giant national competitions.
Amount: $500
Deadline: The current UMD page does not list a fixed annual deadline, so verify with the department.
Apply/info: Official page.
Fall cycle / date TBA for 2026
Arthur C. Pike Scholarship in Meteorology
Why It Slaps: This is one of the classic NWA Foundation meteorology scholarships and it is still worth tracking even when the cycle is not open. It is a good fit for upper-level undergrads or grad students who want a direct weather-field award tied to the professional community. When the fall cycle reopens, it should be on the short list for students in serious meteorology programs.
Amount: Up to $1,000
Deadline: The current NWAF hub says closed until Fall 2026. The last public application page showed a December 4, 2025 deadline.
Apply/info: Official page.
Phillips Family Undergraduate Scholarship for Meteorology
Why It Slaps: This is another strong undergraduate weather-major scholarship that is worth bookmarking before the fall cycle returns. It is especially useful because it is built to help aspiring meteorologists who still have coursework left after the award. If you are an undergrad trying to stack multiple direct-fit field scholarships, this is one to keep in your tracker.
Amount: Up to $1,000
Deadline: The current NWAF hub says closed until Fall 2026. The last public application page showed a December 4, 2025 deadline.
Apply/info: Official page.
John B. McLaughlin Radar Meteorology Scholarship
Why It Slaps: Radar meteorology is one of the best direct bridges between weather science and severe-weather operations, so this scholarship is worth watching closely. The title alone makes it one of the more uniquely targeted opportunities for students interested in radar-based analysis, warning science, or applied severe-weather work. If your interests live in radar, storms, or weather-detection systems, this is a strong fit to bookmark.
Amount: The current closed application page does not publicly display the award amount.
Deadline: The current NWAF hub says closed until Fall 2026. The last public application page showed a December 4, 2025 deadline.
Apply/info: Official page.
FAQs
What are the best picks here for high school seniors?
The strongest direct fits are usually AMS First-Year Undergraduate Scholarship and the Verner E. Suomi Scholarship. If you are still in high school, those are two of the cleanest weather-field targets on this list.
What are the best picks for current undergrads?
Start with NOAA Hollings, AMS Senior Named Scholarships, Ken Reeves, Bob Glahn, Pam Daale, and Tim Samaras. Those cover federal opportunity, professional-society prestige, broadcast fit, data-heavy fit, and severe-weather fit better than most generic STEM awards.
Do broadcast meteorology students count?
Yes. Some of the clearest fits are the NWAF Broadcast Meteorology Scholarship, Pam Daale Scholarship, and, depending on your path, the Ken Reeves Memorial AccuWeather Undergraduate Scholarship.
Are graduate students eligible for anything here?
Yes. The strongest grad-friendly options on this page include AMS Graduate Fellowships, Richard Grotjahn Research Fellowship in Extremes, David Sankey, Scofield, and some other NWA Foundation opportunities.
What should students do if a scholarship is closed right now?
Bookmark the official page, note the likely month, and build the essay and recommendation pieces early. For weather scholarships, being ready before the window opens matters a lot because the field-specific opportunities are fewer and more competitive.
Internal related topic links
For internal relevance and stronger on-site linking, these are the best live companions to this page right now:
Climate Science & Climate Modeling Scholarships for 2026
Emergency Management Scholarships (2026)
Geo-Spatial Intelligence & Remote Sensing Scholarships
Physical & Life Sciences Scholarships (2026)
Minority Scholarships & Grants (2026)
