The photo above says much to me. My interest in meteorology began from a fascination with clouds. That was at the age of 6. As a youngster in Fort Dodge, Iowa, I read every book in the public library about weather (meteorology). Many of the books were general interest but one book was way over my head. I tried to read it anyway, by looking up the big scientific words or skipping them entirely. I certainly skipped the higher math with its squiggly unintelligible marks.

I ordered my first Meteorological Monograph from the American Meteorological Society when I was in high school because It sounded interesting. I did not understand it at the time but I still have it. By the time I reached junior high and high school, I was building weather instruments and writing about weather in school assignments whenever I got the chance.

I learned a lesson from that experience. Being exposed to more than I understood was a good thing. There was much more to the science of meteorology than I thought and it motivated me to learn more. Those squiggly lines in the math books eventually became intelligible and so did my interest in science - and the STEM fields (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics).

I took all of the math and science classes I could in high school. Most of what I learned did not directly pertain to meteorology but those subjects opened the door to a new world of interests. The math was needed for meteorology, each of the sciences (physics, chemistry, and biology) contributed something to my knowledge base - including meteorology. Physics and mathematics are fundamental to meteorology, chemistry is also fundamental, and biology (?) - well, our weather makes life possible on Earth.

This website is set up in that spirit. It contains information understandable to children and adults, but no one will be familiar with everything. Skip over what does not matter to you and use what does. Above all I hope this site gives you a peek inside meteorology, science in general, and leaves you wanting to learn more.

And what is the end of the story? That has yet to be written but counting the early years, I have been involved in meteorology since the early 1950s (age of 6) and professionally since the 1970s. Once a meteorologist, always a meteorologist.

• Craig Johnson, Meteorologist