Joe Rao was a broadcast meteorologist (now retired) whose career spanned over 40 years both on radio and television. For 17 years (1978-1995), his syndicated weathercasts were heard in over 200 radio markets in the United States and eastern Canada. For 21 years (1995-2016), Joe was chief meteorologist and science editor for News 12 Westchester/Hudson Valley, where he garnered eight Emmy nominations, and in 2015, was awarded first place in the weathercasting category by the New York State Associated Press Association. He held the Broadcasting Seals of Approval from both the American Meteorological Society (AMS) and National Weather Association (NWA).

In addition to his meteorological expertise, Joe is also an accomplished astronomer. Since 1986, he has maintained an affiliation at New York’s Hayden Planetarium, where he has taught courses in introductory meteorology and given numerous lectures under the dome at Hayden’s famous Space Theater. He has led several solar eclipse expeditions and has journeyed to 16 total eclipses, having spent more than 40 minutes "basking in the Moon's umbral shadow."

In 2008, Joe received the prestigious Popular Writing Award of the Solar Physics Division of the American Astronomical Society, and for his many years of astronomy outreach, the Northeast Region of the Astronomical League (NERAL) bestowed Joe with their Walter Scott Houston Award in 2009. Additionally, in July 2023, the International Astronomical Union (IAU) named Asteroid 20009 Joerao in his honor.

Joe continues to remain active as a writer for Space.com, Sky & Telescope magazine, and the Old Farmer’s Almanac, and as a speaker for many libraries and civic groups concerning weather and space subjects. His article, “13 Things about Stargazing,” appeared in the October 2024 edition of Reader’s Digest.