All Topic Areas Aviation Weather Climate Coastal Weather Convective Weather Emergency Management Environment and Society Fire Weather Fog and Low Stratus Geospatial Hydrology/Flooding Mesoscale Meteorology Mountain Meteorology Numerical Modeling (NWP) Oceanography/Marine/Tsunami Other QPF/QPE (Precip) Radar Meteorology Satellite Meteorology Space Weather Tropical/Hurricanes Winter Weather All Languages 中文 English Français Deutsch Ελληνικά Bahasa Indonesia Português Pусский Español Published (Newest to Oldest) Published (Oldest to Newest) Updated (Newest to Oldest) Updated (Oldest to Newest) Skill Level (Easy to Hard) Skill Level (Hard to Easy)

National Water Model (NWM) services continue to evolve with new and updated services and visualizations. This training provides a series of six short training videos and corresponding fact sheets about NWM services and how they are used in decision support in the National ... Read more »

This lesson offers a comprehensive overview of precipitation measurement at the Earth’s surface. The lesson begins by defining precipitation and why it is an important property to characterize. It then provides details about the properties and characteristics of gauges ... Read more »

The NOAA Tidal Analysis Datums Calculator (TAD) reads a time series of water level data and calculates several tidal datums. This lesson provides step-by-step instruction on using TAD. It describes data and metadata requirements, the processes used by TAD to compute datums, ... Read more »

With the common adoption of GNSS in land surveying, best practices have evolved with improving hardware and faster data processing. This lesson follows several surveyors as they work their way through projects, touching all aspects from initial planning up through field ... Read more »

Every year over 100 fatalities occur in the United States in the surf zone along our beaches. Rip currents account for the majority of surf zone fatalities with high surf, sneaker waves, longshore currents and others contributing. A first step in predicting rip currents is ... Read more »

This lesson begins with a basic description of rip currents and rip current safety and a look at the partnerships between the US National Weather Service (NWS), National Sea Grant College Program, and the United States Lifesaving Association. It includes a brief overview of ... Read more »

All NWS employees involved in forecast operations should be aware of the general infrastructure, roles, and responsibilities of NWS aviation programs, including Weather Forecast Offices, Center Weather Service Units, the Aviation Weather Center, AWC National Aviation ... Read more »

This lesson outlines the importance of measurements of atmospheric radiation and describes the main types of instrumentation used in obtaining these measurements. Solar radiation instrumentation described includes thermal detectors (pyranometers and pyroelectric ... Read more »

This 45-minute lesson highlights a sample of GOES-R and JPSS satellite products that can provide useful information to forecasters during convective weather scenarios. In this lesson, the learner takes on the role of a forecaster working a shift during a potential severe ... Read more »

The AerosolWatch YouTube Channel contains multiple informational videos about Satellite Aerosol & Fire Products. This set of videos is continually being updated with new content about the aerosol and fire products from NOAA’s JPSS and GOES-R series of satellites. The ... Read more »

COMET staff hosted two editions of the timely webinar, "How to Be Alone Together…Teaching Geosciences in Quarantine." These webinars supported university professors and international hydrometeorological service trainers in the transition to online instruction in the time ... Read more »

This lesson addresses new and improved weather elements in version 3.2 of the National Blend of Models. The weather elements are grouped into the following functional areas: Aviation Precipitation Fire Weather Marine Tropical ... Read more »

New-generation GOES-R and JPSS satellite products offer improved capabilities for detecting and monitoring wildland fires in the Western US and similar geographic regions. In the case of the northern California Kincade fire of October 2019, satellite monitoring ... Read more »

The US National Weather Service (NWS) 2019 Satellite Applications Workshop was held 30 July-1 August 2019 and was co-sponsored by the NWS Operations Proving Ground (OPG), NWS Office of the Chief Learning Officer (OCLO), and the GOES-R and JPSS Programs. The workshop ... Read more »

The US National Weather Service (NWS) Fire Weather Program interacts with many government agencies, provides products and services at the national, regional and local levels, and has updated its guidance documents. This lesson provides the latest Fire Weather Program ... Read more »

While solar radiation enables and sustains life on Earth, it also produces “space weather” that can profoundly impact different technologies, including telecommunications, satellite navigation, and the electric power grid. Solar flares can produce x-rays resulting in ... Read more »

The U.S. National Weather Service (NWS) National Blend of Models (NBM) is scheduled to be upgraded to version 3.2 in November 2019. It includes the first probabilistic blended guidance for temperature, precipitation, snow, and ice. There are more blended forecast products ... Read more »

This lesson provides a brief overview of the satellite-based climate data records (CDRs) generated by EUMETSAT’s Satellite Application Facility on Climate Monitoring (CM SAF) used to support climate observation and modeling. Learners will understand how to obtain a CDR ... Read more »

This lesson was developed by meteorologist, Dr. Mick Pope, with sponsorship from the Australian Bureau of Meteorology (BoM). The lesson is a somewhat broad-brush review of the overall forecast process, but with specific application of the forecast funnel approach as used by ... Read more »

This lesson will aid learners in developing a basic ability to conduct observational studies of cloud hydrometeors and aerosols or airborne particles. Chapter I of the lesson provides an overview of hydrometeors and aerosols and why these constituents of the atmosphere are ... Read more »

In this lesson, the learner takes on the role of a forecaster working the community phone lines prior to the landfall of Hurricane Florence (2018). As a forecaster, the learner converses with a local emergency manager (EM) about the potential threats and impacts from the ... Read more »

This lesson explains how to identify jets and jetstreaks using satellite water vapour imagery. We begin by finding the jetstream and synoptic longwave pattern using a set of five key identifiers. We then move onto locating jetstreaks within the jetstream using a set of ... Read more »

In this lesson, we address the characteristics of anabatic cold fronts, then move into analysis of those characteristics. In the analysis activity, you are asked to diagnose the different types of fronts that appear and identify the main characteristics of anabatic and ... Read more »

In this lesson, we start by investigating the different types of fronts that are commonly analyzed. Next, we address two different types of cold fronts: classic (stacked), and katabatic. Then, we identify the main characteristics of these frontal types and what sets them ... Read more »

Surface observations are usually the first place we go when trying to find mismatches between observed weather and NWP output. We'll talk in this lesson about appropriate methods for making those comparisons and build to a point where we will focus on bigger picture ... Read more »

Another way to try to find mismatches between observed weather and NWP output is by using total-column variables. There are a few of them to choose from, and they make for a relatively simple comparison method for finding correctable mismatches. In this lesson, we'll ... Read more »

If there were a way to make direct comparisons between satellite imagery and NWP output, that would appear to be the best possible way to find mismatches between the observed weather and NWP output. In this lesson, we'll address possible methods for making direct ... Read more »

You know what PV is, yet aren't quite sure how to modify it to make a better forecast. In this short lesson, we will discuss how to modify the PV surface to match water vapour imagery and how those adjustments affect the surface sensible weather. This is the fifth in a ... Read more »

The Satellite Foundational Course for JPSS (SatFC-J) is a series of short lessons focused on topics related to microwave remote sensing and Joint Polar Satellite System instruments and capabilities. Hosted by the Cooperative Institute for Research in the Atmosphere (CIRA), ... Read more »

You've been introduced to Potential Vorticity (PV) as a concept or as a useful tool for NWP assessment, but what is PV really? We'll dive into PV in this lesson and attempt to answer some of the more common questions about PV as a product. This is the fourth in a series ... Read more »

This lesson provides a detailed overview of the instrumentation used to measure atmospheric trace gases, which include various chemical compounds in Earth's atmosphere, some of which result from combustion or other human-related processes. The instrumentation for measuring ... Read more »

Two atmospheric river events that produced heavy precipitation and flooding in different locations within the United States are used to demonstrate some of the capabilities of the merged satellite precipitation products, CMORPH and IMERG-L. The CPC MORPHing Techniques ... Read more »

This lesson summarizes the science and techniques used to measure atmospheric wind. It presents an overview of the main sensor types for wind, including mechanical, electronic, and drifting-position sensors as well as sensors relying on impact pressure and sensors utilizing ... Read more »

The Geostationary Lightning Mapper (GLM) aboard the GOES-R series satellites provides continuous lightning detection from space, giving forecasters a unique tool to monitor developing thunderstorms. This 45 minute lesson introduces learners to the benefits of using GLM ... Read more »

In this lesson, learners will explore the alignment of meteorological and non-meteorological factors that create Critical Fire Weather Patterns. Several scenarios will step learners through the decision-making processes for identifying the presence of a Critical Fire ... Read more »

This lesson provides an overview of the qualitative and quantitative aspects assessed by forecasters when issuing high wind and storm surge watches and warnings for tropical cyclone events. Learners will explore how understanding wind speed probability guidance and risk are ... Read more »

This online lesson introduces learners to the Impact-Based Forecast and Warning Services approach to managing risk from weather events. After reviewing the steps of the approach, learners will practice using them in two simulations. In the simulations, learners must ... Read more »

The Weather Enterprise, also known as The Weather, Water, and Climate Enterprise, is comprised of three main sectors that contribute to the science and application of weather and weather forecasting -- academia, government, and the Weather and Climate Industry. In this ... Read more »

Winter weather is one of the more challenging aspects of operational weather forecasting. Factors affecting the impact of winter storms include precipitation type, timing of precipitation onset and precipitation type changeovers, winds, visibility, temperature, and the ... Read more »

In this lesson, forecasters will practice using guidance from different convection-allowing models (CAMs) over the short term. As they review and analyze the model guidance they will encounter some of the advantages and limitations of using CAMs for winter weather. ... Read more »

High-Resolution Ensemble Forecast (HREF) systems are the next generation of ensemble prediction systems. HREFs provide high-resolution probabilistic forecast information, including the location of mesoscale precipitation bands, and the probability of exceeding important ... Read more »

This short video explores some of the ways that location science improves everyday life. It follows two characters, Jane and John, through the course of a typical day. Jane has a smooth trouble-free day fishing with friends, thanks in part to accurate location surveys. ... Read more »

This 45-minute lesson provides an overview of the satellite-derived products generated by the Satellite Application Facility on Land Surface Analysis (LSA-SAF) that may provide beneficial information to the agriculture community. Learners will practice reading and ... Read more »

The National Blend of Models version 3.2 (NBM v3.2) is due to be released operationally in November 2019. The latest version improves blending methods for wind speed and direction, probability of precipitation (PoP), quantitative precipitation forecasts (QPF), cloud base ... Read more »

NOAA’s Center for Operational Oceanographic Products and Services (CO-OPS) operates the National Water Level Observation Network (NWLON) a system of water level sensors, that form the backbone of our nation’s coastal observation infrastructure. This short video, ... Read more »

The Geostationary Lightning Mapper (GLM) flies aboard the GOES-R series satellites and provides lightning detection data at a quality and resolution not previously available from space. The GLM's continuous lightning monitoring capability is a valuable asset to detecting ... Read more »

Want to know about COSMIC, and how satellite signals can provide information about Earth's atmosphere? This video provides anyone interested in the topic with a brief overview of the Constellation Observing System for Meteorology, Ionosphere, and Climate, called COSMIC. ... Read more »

This is the second lesson in the Mei-Yu Front Series. In this lesson (available in Traditional Chinese) learners will use satellite and radar observations and model guidance to determine the short-term trend in the Mei-Yu front’s movement and associated convective ... Read more »

This lesson provides an overview of the science and techniques related to measuring humidity, or the amount of water vapor, in Earth's atmosphere. After beginning with a review of the units used for humidity, the learner will examine the three main types of hygrometers ... Read more »

The latest-generation Constellation Observing System for Meteorology, Ionosphere, and Climate (FORMOSAT-7/COSMIC-2) provides high-resolution observations of Earth's atmosphere, including the ionosphere. In this video, scientists and mission planners introduce the ... Read more »

The current GOES-R and JPSS meteorological satellites have improved capabilities for enhanced fire detection that include more effective monitoring of fire starts, evolution, and smoke. This lesson provides forecasters and others with the opportunity to become more familiar ... Read more »

This lesson provides information about current science and technologies for measuring pressure in the atmosphere. The lesson begins by reviewing the key physical laws governing atmospheric pressure, including Dalton's Law of Partial Pressures. Then, it explores typical ... Read more »

In this lesson the learner will review and interpret data regarding the early performance of the National Water Model (versions 1.0 -1.2). Verification and evaluation of the National Water Model has been occurring since it went operational in August 2016. This lesson will ... Read more »

Intended for U.S. National Weather Service forecasters, this short video describes changes to the NWS National Blend of Models when it was updated to v3.1. These changes include: More global, mesoscale, and ensemble components; Increased spatial resolution of some ... Read more »

This lesson (available in Traditional Chinese) introduces the Mei-Yu Front characteristics and forecasting methodology used by the CWB to forecast precipitation over Taiwan. The lesson discusses the Mei-Yu Front's three-dimensional structure, lifting mechanisms, ... Read more »

NWP is one of the most important forecasting tools in our toolbox. Yet identifying when/where it isn’t capturing reality is difficult. In the short-term forecasting range, it is important as a forecaster to identify when/where NWP output isn’t matching reality. Then ... Read more »

This 45-minute lesson briefly introduces learners to the benefits of using probabilistic forecast information to assess weather and communicate forecast uncertainties. Learners will explore a winter weather event in Germany and practice synthesizing deterministic and ... Read more »

This listing of multilingual training materials for the GOES-R series includes both foundational lessons and quick guides developed by various partners at the request of the U.S. National Weather Service and NESDIS. The selections included here represent materials ... Read more »

Using a heavy rain situation in Barbados, this video will demonstrate the use of Multi-hazard, Impacts-based Forecast and Warning Services. The demonstration will show an evolution of the forecast in the 3-, 2-, and 1-day lead time periods. The rainfall case is based ... Read more »

This lesson introduces microwave products available from JPSS and other polar and low Earth orbiting satellites that depict clouds, atmospheric moisture and precipitation through the use of passive microwave sensing instruments. Through an exploration of two separate case ... Read more »

Satellite data are important tools for analyses and short-term forecasts of surface floodwater. This lesson will highlight the August 2017 flooding associated with Hurricane Harvey in southeastern Texas, one of the most costly weather disasters in U.S. history. Through the ... Read more »

As a society we have become dependent on satellite communications, but satellites fail with alarming frequency. Before the advent of satellites, long distance communications were carried out with high frequency (HF) radio transmissions. This lesson examines the factors that ... Read more »

This lesson provides an introduction to the Middle East for Navy meteorologists. It focuses on the major aspects of synoptic and mesoscale weather patterns, hazards to aviation and maritime operations, geography, oceanography, and climatology. The “Geography” Unit ... Read more »

Maintaining situational awareness is a crucial skill in every decision-support situation. Wildland fires that threaten populated areas have the potential to inflict devastating damage to communities and can also threaten the personnel working on the fire. This lesson ... Read more »

In this recorded webinar from the Hydrologic Impacts Under Climate Change (HIUCC) course (June 2017), Dr. Julie Vano describes what the near future will likely bring in terms of hydrologic impacts studies. Her talk is parsed into four sections. Section 1 summarizes ongoing ... Read more »

This lesson introduces tools and concepts that are essential for scenario-based planning for sea level change. The lesson guides the learner through the use of the USACE Sea Level Change Calculator to produce site-specific water-level projections. The lesson also introduces ... Read more »

In this webinar recording Scott Rudlosky and Geoffrey Stano discuss and demonstrate the capabilities of the GOES-R/16 Geostationary Lightning Mapper (GLM) in both operational and research applications. You will learn how the GLM, the first lightning mapper in geostationary ... Read more »

In this webinar recording Dr. Emily Berndt and Dr. Michael Folmer discuss the capabilities of the GOES-R/16 Red-Green-Blue (RGB) composites. Multispectral or RGB composites are qualitative, false color images designed to enhance specific features in the atmosphere that are ... Read more »

NWS forecasts are only one of many sources of forecast guidance that both expert users and the public have access to. Decision support for a spectrum of end users requires that the NWS will use social science findings and practices as a guide for making its products more ... Read more »

These free training resources include video tutorials as well as case studies with accompanying data and imagery. The resources introduce the new generation of aerosol products available from the JPSS series of polar-orbiting satellites (SNPP/VIIRS) and the GOES-R series of ... Read more »

This lesson discusses errors associated with the use of inconsistent terrain in the analyses in the Real-Time and the Un-Restricted Mesoscale Analyses (RTMA and URMA, respectively), and in downscaling numerical weather prediction model data to the resolution of the U.S. ... Read more »

The National Weather Service National Blend of Models (NBM) was updated to version 3.0 on 27 July 2017. Changes include: Eight new components for the contiguous U.S. (CONUS) and Alaska, including four deterministic models, two ensemble systems, and two post-processed ... Read more »

In this webinar recording, Amanda Terborg (with input from Dr. Chad Gravelle), will demonstrate the capabilities of GOES-R/16 in analyzing hazards affecting the aviation industry. The talk focuses specifically on four hazards (but there are others): 1) fog and low stratus, ... Read more »

Esta lição introduz sete das dez bandas no infravermelho no ABI (Imageador Avançado de Base) no GOES R-U. Ela examina as características espectrais de cada banda para facilitar o entendimento de seleção de bandas e o que cada banda observa, além de mostrar algumas ... Read more »

In this webinar recording, Michael Bowlan explains how GOES-R/16 can help improve forecasts of severe storms and provide forecasters with real-time information about lightning, flooding potential and other hazards. The high-resolution Advanced Baseline Imager (ABI) data can ... Read more »

The Community Earth System Model (CESM) is a fully-coupled, community, global climate model that provides state-of-the-art computer simulations of the Earth's past, present, and future climate states. The CESM Distance Learning Course is based on the CESM Tutorial held ... Read more »

This lesson introduces learners to the challenges in predicting and communicating localized tropical cyclone (TC) rainfall threats. The lesson discusses the key ingredients conducive for heavy TC rainfall, and the tools used by the National Weather Service to forecast it. ... Read more »

GOES-16, the first satellite in the GOES-R series, launched in November 2016 and now provides 16 multispectral bands of satellite data, including CONUS scans every five minutes, with 0.5 kilometer visible imagery resolution and 2.0 km longwave infrared resolution. This ... Read more »

This 45-minute lesson briefly introduces learners to the benefits of using probabilistic forecast information to assess the weather and communicate forecast uncertainties. Learners will explore a heat wave event in Spain and practice interpreting EPS forecast products ... Read more »

This 45-minute lesson provides an opportunity to use ensemble prediction system products to evaluate uncertainty in the forecast and then communicate that information effectively to a public audience. The lesson places learners in the role of a Meteorological Service of ... Read more »

This lesson offers a comprehensive overview of temperature measurement as related to the atmosphere, bodies of water, soils, and other parts of Earth’s surface. The lesson begins by defining temperature and why it is an important property to characterize. It provides ... Read more »

This advanced lesson explores the performance characteristics of instrumentation used for meteorological measurements. Static performance characteristics are examined in the context of calibration, which offers a means to determine an instrument's response. Dynamic ... Read more »

In this webinar recording, Dr. Dan Lindsey presents GOES-16/GOES-R 30-second and 1-minute rapid scan imagery to demonstrate unprecedented views of convection, wildfire, storm intensification, and other quickly-evolving features. GOES-16 rapid scan also enables cloud and ... Read more »

The National Weather Service (NWS) Western Region (WR) has developed a Ensemble Situational Awareness Table (ESAT), which uses probabilistic NWP to bring attention to the potential for extreme events, especially in middle-range forecasts. The lesson, which is the first of ... Read more »

This lesson introduces the concepts needed to understand and use ensemble prediction system (EPS) products. It describes basic statistical quantities and methods used to develop EPS products, such as probability distribution functions (PDFs) and cumulative distribution ... Read more »

This updated one-hour lesson explores the types of atmospheric and surface features that can be observed at night. It describes recent technical improvements in nighttime visible imaging with the VIIRS Day/Night Band on board the Suomi NPP and JPSS satellites, and the lunar ... Read more »

In this webinar recording, Tim Schmit demonstrates the improved temporal, spatial, spectral and calibration attributes of the Advanced Baseline Imager (ABI) on the GOES-R series. The main uses for each of the sixteen spectral bands will be covered, using examples from the ... Read more »

Long-term management of critical water resources infrastructure needs to incorporate projected changes to environmental conditions. Reservoirs form the heart of water resource assets. Long-range plans for the repair, replacement, maintenance and renovation of these ... Read more »

Aimed at surveyors and GIS professionals, this video explains the difference between active and passive control methods in surveying, and the strengths and weaknesses of each. Passive control is the traditional method of referencing positions to physical benchmarks that ... Read more »

This lesson introduces the capabilities and benefits of rapid scan imaging from geostationary meteorological satellites with a special focus on the current Meteosat Second Generation satellites. The lesson begins with an overview of current rapid scan imaging strategies and ... Read more »

This resource demonstrates the variety of satellite imagery and products accessible through the Community Satellite Processing Package (CSPP). Two videos, the first focused on imagery applications and the second on microwave applications, provide an overview of the types of ... Read more »

This lesson will introduce National Weather Service (NWS) forecasters to the benefits of pre-season coordination in understanding the critical needs of decision-makers, particularly the state and local Departments of Transportation (DOTs). The strategies used by DOTs to ... Read more »

Extremely cold air comes every winter to at least part of the United States and affects millions of people. Arctic air and brisk winds can lead to dangerously cold wind chill values, resulting in frostbite and hypothermia. About 63% of weather-related deaths in the U.S. ... Read more »

Gravity is an important part of geodesy, with implications for height measurements and many other applications. In this module, we explore the concept of equipotential surfaces and relate them to gravity. Then we discuss geodetic applications that rely on accurate gravity ... Read more »

This lesson introduces learners to the challenges in predicting precipitation associated with tropical cyclones (TCs). It also provides an overview of the deterministic and probabilistic rainfall guidance products issued by the Weather Prediction Center (WPC) to forecast ... Read more »

This lesson teaches the basics of satellite image interpretation to forecasters, meteorology students, and other interested learners, with an emphasis on the African region. It begins by briefly describing visible, infrared, and water vapour channels, as well as RGBs and ... Read more »

JetStream - An Online School for Weather is a free teaching resource covering a wide variety of weather topics and weather safety. It provides educators, emergency managers, or anyone interested in learning about weather with comprehensive, well-organized, colorfully ... Read more »

The National Weather Service (NWS) has developed the INSITE tool (INtegrated Support for Impacted air-Traffic Environments) to improve NWS convective impact forecasts by providing functionality that enables forecasters to include more precise impact areas in aviation ... Read more »

Produced in collaboration between NOAA’s National Ocean Service (NOS) US Integrated Ocean Observing System (IOOS) Program Office and The COMET Program, this video explains how high-frequency radar (known as HF radar) is used to provide detailed information in real-time on ... Read more »

This lesson consists of presentations by nine professionals from NOAA and NASA recorded at the GOES-R Workshop for Broadcast Meteorologists at Kennedy Space Center. The workshop was offered by StormCenter Communications, Inc. in partnership with the COMET Program in ... Read more »

In this webinar recording, Andrea Schumacher demonstrates the GOES-R series' new capabilities for real-time tropical cyclone analysis and monitoring, which will contribute significantly to improved hurricane track and intensity forecasts. The GOES-16 imager will provide ... Read more »

This lesson introduces the innovative Day/Night Band (DNB). Producing both daytime and nighttime visible images, the unique aspect of the DNB is its nocturnal low-light imaging capability. It views reflected moonlight from clouds and Earth's surface, surface light emissions ... Read more »

This lesson introduces the VIIRS imager on board the Suomi NPP and JPSS satellites. The lesson briefly describes the capabilities, improvements, and benefits that VIIRS brings to operational meteorology. Numerous images are shown that demonstrate a variety of applications ... Read more »

This web site is provided and maintained by the Commission for Aeronautical Met Expert Team on Education Training and Competencies (CAeM ET/ETC), a voluntary group convened under the auspices of the Aeronautical Meteorology Programme (AeMP) of the World Meteorological ... Read more »

These Weather-Ready Nation (WRN) scenarios—eight in all—take about 10 minutes each to complete. The scenarios are based on potential weather events ranging from floods to heatwaves and teach safety steps individuals should take before, during and after significant ... Read more »

This lesson introduces the capabilities of NOAA’s next-generation infrared and microwave sounders, the Cross-track Infrared Sounder (CrIS) and the Advanced Technology Microwave Sounder (ATMS). Both fly on board the Suomi NPP satellite mission and constitute the foundation ... Read more »

This short lesson describes the Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer 2 (AMSR2) on board the next-generation polar-orbiting satellite platforms. AMSR2’s primary mission is to improve scientists’ understanding of climate by providing estimates of precipitation, water ... Read more »

This lesson presents a brief overview of NOAA's operational low Earth orbiting satellites, focusing on how their orbits define observational coverage and how ground receiving capabilities impact data latency from the observation time to product availability. This lesson is ... Read more »

The Satellite Foundational Course for GOES-R (SatFC-G) is a series of nearly 40 lessons designed specifically for National Weather Service (NWS) forecasters and decision makers to prepare for the U.S.’ next-generation geostationary environmental satellites. The course is ... Read more »

This lesson will introduce National Weather Service (NWS) forecasters to the communication strategies used for decision support services during wildland fire incidents. It also serves as a baseline for practices that leverage unique NWS capabilities to assist land ... Read more »

This lesson introduces users to the statistics used in generating the various weather element forecasts included in version 2 and 3 of the U.S. National Weather Service (NWS) National Blend of Global Models (NBM). This Level 3 lesson is intended for forecasters and users of ... Read more »

This lesson provides an introduction to the benefits, important input (forcing data), and key products of the National Water Model. Both official and evolving products are presented. The lesson uses the flooding associated with Hurricane Harvey in August 2017 to demonstrate ... Read more »

The lesson is intended to help NOAA's National Weather Service facilitate forecasters' use of ensemble forecast information in hydrology. The lesson provides information about the benefits and limitations of the Hydrologic Ensemble Forecast Service (HEFS), explains the ... Read more »

English Description The COMET Translation Resource Center supports the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) community's efforts to expand the availability of training materials through translation. Here you'll find resources to guide and support your translation efforts ... Read more »

This lesson provides an overview of basic weather processes, beginning with how the distribution of incoming solar energy helps to establish Earth’s atmospheric circulations. Learners will gain an understanding of the differences between weather and climate, and how ... Read more »

This short lesson provides an overview of the world's oceans, including information about geography, physical properties, major currents, and the effects of oceans on weather and climate. Brief information about wind waves, swell, and tides and the drivers of each of these ... Read more »

This lesson provides an overview of Earth’s atmosphere, its vertical structure, the fundamental forces acting on air, and how the atmosphere's composition affects the colors we see in the sky. The lesson also includes information about how Earth receives energy from the ... Read more »

In this 1-hour lecture, presented in three parts, research hydrologist Dr. Holly Hartmann discusses issues and approaches for communicating with decision-makers regarding climate change topics in water management and planning. Dr. Hartmann is a national leader in research ... Read more »

This lesson describes the physical processes, both natural and human-induced, that lead to changes in sea level. The processes described include climate induced changes in ocean heat content and volume, natural oceanic cycles, and both natural and human-induced changes in ... Read more »

This scenario-based lesson examines how the limitations of high-resolution NWP forecasts affect their analyses and forecasts of winter and severe weather, and how best to use the output in light of the limitations. The lesson is structured around a case that occurred in ... Read more »

This series of videos, produced in collaboration with NOAA and the FAA, provides an introduction to the new Impacts TAF Board tactical decision aid. Introducing the Impacts TAF Board (3:00) The new Aviation Weather Center (AWC) Impacts TAF Board helps aviation ... Read more »

This video provides an introduction to the Constellation Observing System for Meteorology, Ionosphere, and Climate (COSMIC), including information about the COSMIC-2 mission. COSMIC uses a technique called radio occultation to profile temperature, water vapor, and ... Read more »

This lesson introduces two numerical weather prediction (NWP) lightning hazard products that forecasters can use during a convective meteorological watch and to assess lightning risk at Day 2 and beyond. The first product is the Flash Rate Density, a derived, deterministic ... Read more »

This lesson provides an in-depth case study to illustrate principles of dam failure modeling and examines some of the critical data inputs and outputs. Output is provided from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers HEC-RAS model for simulated failures of a large dam. Several ... Read more »

This lesson introduces seven of the ten infrared imager bands on the GOES R-U ABI (Advanced Baseline Imager). It examines the spectral characteristics of each band to facilitate a better understanding of band selection and what each band observes, and to shed light on some ... Read more »

This lesson introduces you to three of the four near-infrared imager bands (at 1.37, 1.6, and 2.2 micrometers) on the GOES R-U ABI (Advanced Baseline Imager), focusing on their spectral characteristics and how they affect what each band observes. For information on the 0.86 ... Read more »

This lesson introduces you to the two visible and one of the near-infrared imager bands on the GOES R-U ABI (Advanced Baseline Imager), focusing on their spectral characteristics and how they affect what each band observes. Also included is a brief discussion of the ... Read more »

This case-study lesson provides an opportunity to apply the information in the ASMET lesson “Satellite-Derived Climatology Products for Monitoring Convection Over West and Central Africa” to a case that occurred over West and Central Africa in June 2014. It demonstrates ... Read more »

This lesson (available in Chinese) introduces the typhoon QPF forecasting methodology used by the CWB, including the role played by the analogue method and the typhoon rainfall climatology model in Taiwan. The lesson discusses the advantages and limitations of the Ensemble ... Read more »

Turbulent flow that impacts aviation can be caused by several different factors and can occur at both low and high-levels in the atmosphere. This lesson focuses on forecasting mountain wave turbulence. Its methodology relies on the spatial and temporal distribution of ... Read more »

The EPS Products Reference Guide provides information about nine commonly used ensemble prediction system (EPS) products. Each has a description, tips for interpreting and using it effectively, a list of its strengths and weaknesses, and practice exercises. The Guide is ... Read more »

This lesson is a follow-on to COMET’s Communicating Forecast Uncertainty lesson, which introduces research findings on the effective communication of uncertainty information and enables learners to apply them to a North American case. This lesson focuses on a European ... Read more »

This five minute lesson presents a brief overview of how GOES-R observations are expected to support and potentially enhance NWP for various analysis and forecast applications. This lesson is a part of the NWS Satellite Foundational GOES-R ... Read more »

This lesson covers how satellite observations inform numerical weather prediction models. It begins with a basic overview of what satellite data types are assimilated and how, and ends with an overview of how data from new instrument's may make it into a model. This lesson ... Read more »

Although previous research suggests that we are not very good at reasoning with uncertainty, the research described in this talk is far more encouraging. Unlike earlier work that compares peoples' decisions to a rational standard, these experiments compared decisions made ... Read more »

Climate outlooks provide probability-based information about expected rainfall and temperatures at timescales of months or longer. This lesson demonstrates how monthly and seasonal outlooks issued by the Australian Bureau of Meteorology can be combined with other ... Read more »

This lesson describes a common approach used by the United States Bureau of Reclamation to scope a study on integrating climate change information into water resources management and planning. Learners will become familiar with the types of questions that must be addressed ... Read more »

This lesson offers users of climate information a demonstration of the utility of the Local Climate Analysis Tool (LCAT) for water resources applications. The training follows a NOAA Climate Resilience Toolkit case study in Tampa, Florida, and illustrates how LCAT analyses ... Read more »

This lesson introduces learners to the methods used in verifying the various weather element forecasts included in Version 1.0 of the U.S. National Weather Service (NWS) National Blend of global Models (NBM). This Level 2 lesson is intended for forecasters and users of NWS ... Read more »

This lesson uses water vapor satellite imagery from Himawari-8 to describe the typical extratropical transition of a tropical cyclone. The Himawari-8 imager previews comparable capabilities coming online with the GOES-R ABI imager. The lesson also provides a brief overview ... Read more »

This lesson is an abbreviated review of the scientific basis for using visible and infrared satellite imagery. The concepts and capabilities presented are common to most geostationary (GEO) and low-Earth orbiting (LEO) meteorological satellites. Basic remote sensing and ... Read more »

This lesson describes the need for real-time lightning information and the capabilities of the Geostationary Lightning Mapper (GLM), which will fly on the next-generation GOES-R satellites as the first operational lightning detector in geostationary orbit. This lesson is a ... Read more »

Climate is changing at unprecedented rates in recorded history. A variety of lines of evidence demonstrate that climate change is likely to affect the hydrologic cycle and thus create new challenges in water management. This requires that climate change information be ... Read more »

This lesson provides an introduction to the instrumentation used for meteorological measurements. Aimed at undergraduate and graduate students in meteorology and the atmospheric sciences, it examines the types of observing systems available to measure temperature, pressure, ... Read more »

This lesson introduces users to the statistics used in generating the various weather element forecasts included in Version 1.0 of the U.S. National Weather Service (NWS) National Blend of global Models (NBM). This Level 3 lesson is intended for forecasters and users of NWS ... Read more »

The Climate Data Guide provides concise and reliable information on the strengths and limitations of the key observational data sets, tools and methods used to evaluate Earth system models and to understand the climate system. Citable expert commentaries are authored by ... Read more »

This scenario-based lesson introduces the topic of communicating forecast uncertainty to decision-makers, such as emergency managers, related industry professionals, the public, and other end-users. In a case that spans the lesson, learners begin by developing a forecast ... Read more »

This module provides an introduction to the European continent and the Mediterranean and Black Sea areas for weather forecasters. It focuses on geography, climatology, oceanography, major aspects of the synoptic and mesoscale weather patterns, and hazards to aviation and ... Read more »

Crafting clear, concise and effective messages focused on customer needs is a crucial skill in every decision-support situation. Tropical cyclones that threaten a coastline have the potential to inflict devastating damage to communities and communicating relevant weather ... Read more »

This lesson will describe the real-time storm surge products that are issued by the National Hurricane Center (NHC) and National Weather Service Weather Forecast Offices (NWS WFOs) during a significant tropical cyclone event along the Atlantic and Gulf coasts of the United ... Read more »

Produced in collaboration between NOAA’s National Geodetic Survey (NGS) and The COMET Program, this video explains NOAA’s VDatum tool and its role in facilitating height transformations between vertical datums including tidal, orthometric, and ellipsoidal datums. It ... Read more »

Produced in collaboration between NOAA’s National Geodetic Survey (NGS) and The COMET Program, this video explains the role of topo-bathy lidar products in NOAA’s mapping and charting program, and how these products provide a critical dataset for coastal resilience, ... Read more »

This lesson provides a technical introduction to Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS), covering theory, procedures, and accuracy issues. Aimed at professionals in a “geospatial science” field, including engineers, surveyors, meteorologists, geographers and GIS ... Read more »

This 20-minute lesson presents upgraded versions of the two NWP models used as High Resolution Window (HiresW), the Weather Research and Forecasting-Advanced Research WRF (WRF-ARW) and the Non-Hydrostatic Multiscale Model on the B-grid (NMMB). Domains include the ... Read more »

The Short-Range Ensemble Forecast (SREF) system underwent a major upgrade in Fall 2015. The intended result of the upgrade was to improve the SREF ensemble spread and probabilistic skill, and to reduce a cool, wet bias in surface and near-surface temperatures and ... Read more »

This lesson introduces users to the five different guidance products that will be included in Version 1.0 of the U.S. National Weather Service (NWS) National Blend of global Models (NBM). The primary audience for this lesson includes forecasters and users of NWS forecast ... Read more »

High swell events can develop far from the coast under cyclonic conditions, and take several days to travel to land. If early warnings are not issued, they can take an area by surprise and have a devastating impact. This lesson aims to improve the ability of marine ... Read more »

A weather forecaster’s knowledge of climatology is important to the success of a forecast, especially where convection is involved. That’s particularly true over Central and West Africa where convection has a strong diurnal cycle and usually develops over particular ... Read more »

This case study lesson demonstrates the use of scatterometer wind and, to a lesser extent, altimeter significant wave height products in marine forecasting. A brief introduction to cold fronts and their impact on weather and sea state conditions sets the stage for the main ... Read more »

Good rainfall draws many people to settle across the eastern Africa highlands for farming and other businesses. However, factors such as steep terrain, logging, livestock grazing, agriculture, and construction, have increased erosion and contributed to less stable slopes. ... Read more »

Aimed at community planners, emergency managers, and other coastal zone decision-makers this video will explain how using geospatial information already available through NOAA, combined with strategic local investments in infrastructure can provide communities with the data ... Read more »

The TsunamiReady® program began in 2001 to promote tsunami hazard preparedness and improve public safety before, during, and after tsunami emergencies. In 2015, the National Weather Service updated the TsunamiReady Guidelines based directly on emergency management ... Read more »

Aimed at surveyors and GIS professionals who use geodetic-quality GNSS equipment to determine positions for land planning, coastal monitoring and other purposes, this video covers best practices for reducing errors in the areas of: 1. location and environment, 2. equipment ... Read more »

The chemistry of the world’s oceans is changing. Ocean acidity is creeping upward, a result of rising atmospheric carbon dioxide. The added carbon dioxide depletes seawater of carbonate, a chemical constituent of minerals that form the shells and structures of animals ... Read more »

This video explains the difference between the U.S. survey foot (sft) and the international survey foot (ift) and the importance of this distinction when working with map projections. It will be helpful to surveyors, planners and anyone who needs to convert map coordinates ... Read more »

This lesson introduces learners to the uncertainty and errors in forecasting the track, timing, and intensity of tropical cyclones. It provides an overview of how the National Hurricane Center’s cone of uncertainty is constructed, as well as its uses and common ... Read more »

This lesson introduces forecasters to the probabilistic guidance products used by the National Hurricane Center to assess tropical cyclone wind threats. It provides an overview of how these probabilistic wind speed products are created, their purposes, and how to interpret ... Read more »

This lesson addresses how sea level is determined and applied. It starts with a general discussion of the surfaces that form the basis of measurement, called datums, then looks more closely at the vertical datums that form the basis of height measurements. We cover tidal ... Read more »

This lesson describes the role of forecasters in supporting emergency managers during tropical cyclones with a focus on the wind hazards. It provides an overview of the wind speed products produced by the National Weather Service, including how they are used to create local ... Read more »

The availability of numerical guidance from NWP models has been an important component of operational forecasting for decades. For many, the output from this numerical guidance was produced by a mysterious “black box”. Rules for using and adjusting the guidance for ... Read more »

The National Blend of Global Models was developed to utilize the best available science and provide a consistent National Weather Service forecast product across the U.S. This lesson describes the background and motivation for the National Blend and includes comparisons of ... Read more »

Climate is changing at unprecedented rates in recorded history. A variety of lines of evidence demonstrate that climate change is likely to affect the hydrologic cycle and thus create new challenges in water management. This requires that climate change information be ... Read more »

OSCAR/Space, the “satellite” component of the WMO OSCAR resource, contains updated quality-controlled information on past, present and future satellite missions, instruments and related characteristics, covering a period from 1960 up to 2050, which adds up to 500+ ... Read more »

The SATURN (SATellite User Readiness Navigator) developed jointly by WMO and meteorological satellite operators provides unified access to information that helps users to prepare for the new generation of meteorological satellites to be launched in the 2015-2020 timeframe. ... Read more »

The Product Access Guide is a web-based resource maintained by the World Meteorological Organization to (i) facilitate online search for quality-controlled, documented satellite-based data products from providers worldwide, related expert groups, and training material, (ii) ... Read more »

This lesson introduces forecasters to the orthometric and tidal datums used to describe tropical cyclone storm surge measurements and forecasts. It provides a general overview of how to interpret storm surge forecasts using various vertical datums. This online lesson is ... Read more »

This lesson introduces hydrologists, meteorologists, and the education community to two new JPSS (Joint Polar Satellite System) satellite capabilities for monitoring river ice and flooding. It begins by describing the need for information on river ice and flooding, the ... Read more »

Esta extensão do módulo “GOES-R: Benefícios da Nova Geração de Monitoramento Ambiental” do COMET, está focada no instrumento ABI, o imageador de 16 canais do satélite. Com o aumento da cobertura espectral, maior resolução espacial, maior frequência de imagens ... Read more »

This lesson provides information on climatology—what it is, the factors that create an area's climate, and the sources and uses of climate information. Focused specifically on tropical Pacific islands, the content covers the key features influencing climate in that region ... Read more »

The first of a two-part series, this 40-50 minute non-narrated interactive lesson is intended to help professionals with basic science background better understand the Earth’s gravity field and what causes its variations. Of particular interest to earth/physical ... Read more »

This brief lesson provides an overview of the AHI on Himawari and highlights its differences from the GOES-R Advanced Baseline Imager (ABI). It discusses AHI’s improved capabilities in spectral coverage, spatial resolution, and imaging interval over the MTSAT-2 imager; ... Read more »

This lesson introduces forecasters to the probabilistic storm surge guidance used by the National Weather Service to assess local surge threats and impacts. It will provide practice in determining the chance that critical surge thresholds may be reached or exceeded and when ... Read more »

This lesson introduces forecasters to the various probabilistic guidance products used by the National Hurricane Center to forecast storm surge. It provides an overview of how these probabilistic surge products are created, their purposes, and why they are preferred to ... Read more »

This lesson introduces forecasters to the physical processes and impacts of tropical cyclone storm surge. It provides an overview of the factors that affect storm surge, how it is measured, and the limitations associated with storm surge data. This online lesson is part ... Read more »

Both the processes of convection and of rainfall formation are typically subgrid scale, and require parameterisation. This lesson examines two types of precipitation parameterisation used by models: Convective parameterisation MicrophysicsThe lesson also ... Read more »

This lesson describes model parameterizations of surface, PBL, and free atmospheric processes. It specifically addresses how models treat these processes, how such processes can potentially interact with each other, and how they can influence forecasts of sensible weather ... Read more »

This lesson introduces the processes of model data assimilation. It also discusses the impacts of errors in the data assimilation on model forecasts and how a human forecaster can compensate for ... Read more »

This lesson is focused on how a model forecast and the interpretation of that forecast, is affected by the basic design of the model. Topics include how meteorological variables are represented in grid point and spectral models, fundamental differences between hydrostatic ... Read more »

This lesson introduces forecasters to the complex and multifaceted process for creating a forecast. It also discusses how NWP fits into that process. In addition, the lesson provides a broad overview of the basic components of NWP and how they combine to produce a model ... Read more »

Conceptual Models for Southern Hemisphere is a joint project between four southern hemispheric regions: Argentina, Australia, Brazil and South Africa. The purpose of the project is to improve warnings and awareness of weather risks through the better understanding of ... Read more »

This lesson provides a basic introduction to celestial navigation for navigators, sailors, and others interested in the topic. It begins with the relationship between celestial coordinates and Earth coordinates and examines key celestial navigation parameters—geographic ... Read more »

Ships operating in areas with ice are expected to report conditions as part of standard weather reporting procedures. This lesson is aimed at those tasked with this responsibility, be they official or informal observers. The lesson begins with background information on ice, ... Read more »

This lesson provides a brief overview of surface and upper-air data and how these data are plotted on meteorological charts. The content introduces various charting and reporting techniques, including station models, contour analyses, streamlines, and upper air maps. ... Read more »

This brief video focuses on the importance of both precision and accuracy in geodetic surveying and the difference between them. Produced in collaboration between NOAA’s National Geodetic Survey and The COMET Program, this video is aimed at surveying professionals, ... Read more »

This learning object/widget is designed for upper-level undergraduates or forecaster interns who want to apply their knowledge of the Quasi-geostrophic Vorticity Equation to forecast situations. The interactivity helps users see how each variable interacts within the ... Read more »

This module introduces aviation forecasters to a conceptual framework for analyzing, diagnosing and predicting convective cessation and resulting conditions near airports. Users will first learn about five main environments with respect to convection, and three patterns in ... Read more »

This case-based, interactive lesson teaches a process for forecasting clear air turbulence (CAT) and applies it to a case that occurred over the U.S. Information about the synoptic patterns that generate CAT and the products and indices used to identify it are woven into ... Read more »

You've seen it happen repeatedly. Forecasters have a tough forecast ahead of them. But how are they supposed to know which model data will be the best one to help them come to a conclusion about the situation? In situations like this, the first step should always be to ... Read more »

This lesson covers the topics of geodesy, datums, map projections, and map coordinate systems. Geodesy addresses the shape of the earth: the topographic surface, geoid, and best-fit ellipsoid. Datums addresses the position and orientation or the best-fit ellipsoid and the ... Read more »

Aircraft icing has resulted in numerous accidents, some fatal. The problem is due, in part, to a lack of awareness on the part of aviation forecasters (and others) that icing is imminent. The lesson addresses this issue by presenting a process for forecasting enroute icing ... Read more »

This module helps forecasters provide decision support services during hazardous materials emergencies. Topics covered include: Types of weather data inputs required for short-range dispersion models typically used by emergency managers Types of inputs required to run the ... Read more »

This learning object/widget is designed for upper-level undergraduates or forecaster interns who want to apply their knowledge of the Quasi-geostrophic Omega Equation to forecast situations. The interactivity helps users see how each variable interacts within the equation ... Read more »

Forecaster nowcasting at the synoptic scale is rapidly being replaced by the numerical weather prediction models. However, there are plenty of opportunities for you as a forecaster to improve on those forecasts with simple comparisons of water vapour hand analyses and ... Read more »

This lesson provides an overview of the primary influences of watershed and channel sedimentation. In a short narrated portion of the lesson, we explore a section of the Rio Grande watershed and channel in New Mexico using Google Earth imagery, river profiles, and graphic ... Read more »

Understanding Marine Customers, 2nd edition, introduces the different marine forecast customers and discusses what forecast information they need to know and why they need to know it. A better understanding of the needs of the marine forecast customer will lead to better ... Read more »

This series of short videos, produced in collaboration between NOAA’s National Geodetic Survey and The COMET Program, provides an introduction to geodetic datums for anyone who uses mapping products or other geo-spatial tools. 1. What are Geodetic Datums? (4:36) In this ... Read more »

Marine Weather Services Incident Response and Decision Support provides guidance for forecasters tasked with supporting oil or chemical spills and other marine-focused incidents. The lesson follows an example spill event to help demonstrate marine forecasters' ... Read more »

Introduction to Aircraft Meteorological Data Relay (AMDAR) provides national meteorological services worldwide, airlines, and aviation organizations with information about the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) aircraft-based observing system. The audience includes ... Read more »

This chapter examines vertical transport of heat, moisture, momentum, trace gases, and aerosols, including the role of tropical deep convection and turbulence. Diurnal and seasonal variations in surface fluxes and boundary layer depth are examined. The boundary layer is ... Read more »

In this chapter, we examine the wide-variety of synoptic and mesoscale weather systems that affect the tropics, including, tropical easterly waves, upper tropospheric troughs, monsoon depressions, subtropical cyclones, westerly wind bursts, and cold fronts. Extratropical ... Read more »

This 190-page text, which is based on a series of university lectures, provides comprehensive information on synoptic meteorology. There's a general introduction to synoptics followed by chapters on tropospheric circulation, air masses, boundary layer and weather, wind ... Read more »

The Manual of Synoptic Satellite Meteorology, or SatManu, provides detailed descriptions of approximately fifty atmospheric conceptual models at different scales from a satellite point of view. Each conceptual model has associated exercises and many have case studies that ... Read more »

These two videos serve as an introduction to the Downscaled Climate and Hydrology Projections website. This website, the result of a collaboration between several federal and non-federal partners, provides access to downscaled climate and hydrology projections for the ... Read more »

This lesson introduces the concepts and principles basic to retrieving important land and ocean surface properties using microwave remote sensing observations from polar-orbiting satellites. Section one reviews the advantages of microwave remote sensing from polar-orbiting ... Read more »

Aimed at scientists, engineers, modelers and other technical users of GIS/mapping applications, this lesson provides a basic understanding of different vertical datums, how they are defined, some of their strengths and weaknesses and how to choose the appropriate datum for ... Read more »

In these three short video interviews, Frank Leitz, Senior Chemical Engineer with the Bureau of Reclamation shares stories and lessons learned from his work on water purification and desalination projects. In the first video, “Lessons-learned: Cost-modeling for ... Read more »

"Weather Observing Fundamentals" provides guidance for U.S. Navy Aerographer's Mates, Quartermasters, and civilian observers tasked with taking and reporting routine, special, and synoptic observations. Although the focus of this lesson is on shipboard observations, much of ... Read more »

This lesson presents the scientific and technical basis for using visible and infrared satellite imagery so forecasters can make optimal use of it for observing and forecasting the behaviour of the atmosphere. The concepts and capabilities presented are common to most ... Read more »

Scatterometers and altimeters provide a variety of space-based observations that are useful for marine analysis and forecasting as well as other applications. Key among the products are ocean surface winds from scatterometers and significant wave heights from altimeters. ... Read more »

The lesson provides an overview of radio occultation and its contributions to our understanding of Earth's atmosphere as demonstrated by the COSMIC mission launched in 2006. The lesson is divided into three chapters: Chapter 1 describes the science of radio occultation and ... Read more »

This lesson describes the properties of electromagnetic and electro-optical radiation and how their propagation is affected by the atmosphere and weather. Atmospheric variables that affect EM propagation include temperature, moisture, pressure, and composition. These ... Read more »

"Writing TAFs for Convective Weather, 2nd Edition" uses a severe thunderstorm event to illustrate techniques for producing an effective Terminal Aerodrome Forecast (TAF) following current National Weather Service directives. The unit offers guidance for developing TAFs for ... Read more »

This lesson provides guidance for operational forecasters needing to combine different intensity methods to determine the intensity of a tropical cyclone. Each of the intensity methods is summarized, focusing on both strengths and weaknesses. These methods include the ... Read more »

The Tropical Synoptic Meteorology Curriculum Package is a university-level, online meteorology course package. It is freely available to interested institutions that are expanding their course offerings, particularly their online offerings. The course fulfills the synoptic ... Read more »

This lesson explores the primary influences, or drivers, on water temperature of inland streams and rivers. We use a simulated flight, or flyover, where we look down at the features of the South Boise River in Idaho. An unregulated as well as a regulated reach of the river ... Read more »

This extension of the COMET module “GOES-R: Benefits of Next Generation Environmental Monitoring” focuses on the Geostationary Lightning Mapper (GLM) instrument, the satellite's lightning mapper. The GLM will provide continuous lightning measurements over a large ... Read more »

The hazards associated with convective systems present some of the most dangerous conditions encountered by aircraft and pose many challenges to aviation operations. When convection is forecast to develop, aviation forecasters are required to issue a series of warning ... Read more »

Turbulence is a major concern for the aviation industry. It often goes undetected in cloud-free areas, catching pilots off guard when they fly into it. Turbulence can injure passengers and crew, and cause structural damage to aircraft. This makes it critical for aviation ... Read more »

Conveyor belts highlight important atmospheric processes that can be advantageous for making forecasts. They can be used for identifying general temperature patterns, defining the extent of cloud cover, predicting moisture return, evaluating stability, forecasting wind ... Read more »

This lesson introduces the VIIRS imager that operates on the current U.S. Suomi NPP satellite and is planned for future JPSS environmental satellites. VIIRS has many advanced features that improve both spectral and spatial resolution and enable the delivery of consistent, ... Read more »

It is our common experience to observe that the lowest levels of the atmosphere cool down more slowly on humid nights than on dry nights. When the sky is cloudy we observe the atmosphere to cool even more slowly. Can longwave radiation fluxes alone explain these ... Read more »

This lesson provides an introduction to ensemble forecast systems using an operational case study of the Blizzard of 2013 in Southern Ontario. The module uses models available to forecasters in the Meteorological Service of Canada, including Canadian and U.S. global and ... Read more »

This lesson is an update to the 2008 expert lecture on hyperspectral observations presented by Dr. Mitch Goldberg, Program Scientist for NOAA's Joint Polar Satellite System (JPSS) Program. The lesson discusses what hyperspectral observations are, how they are made, some ... Read more »

This lesson describes satellite sensors and products used for monitoring the fire cycle, with an emphasis on both polar-orbiting and geostationary satellites. Product information is presented in the context of the fire lifecycle: from assessing the pre- and post-fire ... Read more »

Aircrews and pilots are frequently the first to see oil spills on water. They provide critical eyes in the sky for U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) response teams and NOAA's Office of Response and Restoration. Oil spill responders use a common terminology for describing and ... Read more »

This lesson presents 13 recorded presentations from the 29 July–2 August, 2013 offering of the Climate Variability and Change Virtual Course (CVCVC). This five-day live facilitated online course provided an extensive background on a range of climate variability and change ... Read more »

This module provides an introduction to the Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean Sea for weather forecasters. It focuses on major aspects of the geography, oceanography, and climatology. Geography covers major political boundaries, cities, ports, topographical features, rivers, ... Read more »

This module provides an introduction to ensemble forecast systems with an operational case study of Hurricane Sandy. The module concentrates on models from NCEP and FNMOC available to forecasters in the U.S. Navy, including NAEFS (North American Ensemble Forecast System), ... Read more »

Climate information can be used as guidance for a range of weather-dependent operations. This module summarizes the Climate Analysis Process, a series of steps for determining which climatological products and data will be most useful for a specified application. The ... Read more »

This lesson aims to improve aviation forecasts of fog in the African airspace by teaching forecasters to make more accurate forecasts using satellite imagery, numerical weather prediction, and other available data. A process for diagnosing and forecasting fog is presented ... Read more »

This module is a learning object on a foundational aspect of dynamic meteorology, the pressure gradient force. As a learning object, it is meant to supplement other teaching material in a course by elucidating a specific concept. The horizontal pressure gradient force is ... Read more »

Case studies of tropical-extratropical air mass interactions over South America are presented in this module. Synoptic features associated with cold air intrusion into tropical latitudes and the incursion of humid, tropical air masses into midlatitudes are identified. ... Read more »

This module provides examples of radar imagery from various locations in the Caribbean to demonstrate the different types of images available. Also, examples of different meteorological and non meteorological features are presented to show features seen in island locations. ... Read more »

Nowcasting for Aviation in Africa summarizes techniques and best practices for developing area-specific forecasts at very short (0-6 hour) timescales. This 1-hour lesson presents a case study focused on interpreting threats and communicating correct warning information for ... Read more »

This Regional Study Guide highlights the sections of the Introduction to Tropical Meteorology, 2nd Edition online textbook that are applicable to aeronautical forecasting operations in Africa. Topics include remote sensing, global circulations, tropical variability, ... Read more »

Since the advent of rawinsonde observations, thermodynamic diagrams have been used by meteorologists to analyze sounding data in the course of preparing their weather forecasts. This module comprehensively examines the use of the tephigram, widely used for over 60 years by ... Read more »

Satellite observations have a huge impact on numerical weather prediction (NWP) model analyses and forecasts, with sounding data from polar orbiting and GPS-radio occultation satellites reducing model forecast error by almost half. All of this despite the fact that NWP ... Read more »

Writing TAFs for Ceilings and Visibility, Africa Edition outlines the processes for developing an effective Terminal Aerodrome Forecast (TAF) that meets International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) guidelines. Geared specifically to forecasters in Africa, the lesson ... Read more »

This module applies concepts covered in the module, Fog: Its Processes and Impacts to Aviation. It examines the fog processes at a tropical location: Guyana. A basic overview of the main fog types is provided, and then a detailed analysis is done for a representative fog ... Read more »

We think in three-dimensional space and a fourth dimension, time. Therefore, we should think about the atmosphere in similar terms. However, we are often stuck with two-dimensional maps. Water vapor imagery can help us break out of that flatland and move to more ... Read more »

This three-hour lesson describes the impacts of weather on aviation operations and highlights the role of the National Weather Service (NWS) in supporting the Federal Aviation Administration's air traffic management organization. The lesson contains an Introduction (40 ... Read more »

This lesson illustrates how numerical guidance from the Weather Research and Forecasting Model - Environmental Modeling System (WRF-EMS) can be added to surface observations, satellite graphics, and conceptual models of important aviation phenomena, to produce TAFs. ... Read more »

This module describes characteristics of African easterly waves including horizontal and vertical structure, evolution, speed, frequency, methods of tracking, and their downstream transformation over the Atlantic, Caribbean, and East Pacific. Mechanisms for wave formation ... Read more »

This case study focuses on monitoring of the MJO and equatorial waves and their role in tropical cyclogenesis. Learners will use conceptual models to understand the structure of the MJO and equatorial waves. They will identify and monitor those circulations using ... Read more »

The module provides a brief overview of severe local storms in the tropics. Basic ingredients for thunderstorms and assessment of thunderstorm potential from soundings are described. Then properties and hazards of ordinary thunderstorms, multicellular thunderstorms, ... Read more »

This interactive module is part of an online university-level tropical synoptic meteorology course, which helps international meteorologists meet basic instructional requirements. In the module, we discuss: Mesoscale, thermally-forced circulations (i.e. land-sea breeze and ... Read more »

Mesoscale Convective Systems (MCSs) occur globally and can account for significant percentages of the annual precipitation in some locations. MCSs are responsible for flooding as well as damaging surface winds in some instances. Thus, it is important for forecasters to ... Read more »

This module describes the general characteristics of upper-level jet streams (Polar Jet, Subtropical Jet, and Tropical Easterly Jet) and two major tropical low-level wind maxima (Somali Jet, African Easterly Jet). Included are discussions of their formation, maintenance, ... Read more »

This extension of the COMET lesson “GOES-R: Benefits of Next Generation Environmental Monitoring” focuses on the ABI instrument, the satellite's 16-channel imager. With increased spectral coverage, greater spatial resolution, more frequent imaging, and improved image ... Read more »

The module illustrates the typical synoptic pattern influencing fire weather in southeast Australia. A case study provides insight into how experienced forecasters combine the four key ingredients—wind, temperature, dew point temperature, and fuel state—to produce a ... Read more »

Satellite monitoring of atmospheric composition provides important information for a number of applications, including stratospheric ozone monitoring, long-range pollutant transport, biomass burning, air quality monitoring and forecasting, and climate change. This module ... Read more »

This module presents an overview of space-based microwave remote sensing for environmental applications with a focus on meteorological applications. It delivers basic information on polar-orbiting satellite characteristics, current microwave instruments, and the products ... Read more »

The module reviews the fundamental steps for writing a Terminal Aerodrome Forecast (TAF) using guidelines and recommendations developed by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). This module outlines effective ... Read more »

This module looks at how increasing temperatures due to climate change have affected sea level rise and what effects scientist expect in the future, given rising greenhouse gas emissions. The various mechanisms of sea level rise are discussed, as well as the tools and ... Read more »

This module discusses how a changing climate can also lead to changes in extreme weather events on the local scale. The role of natural variability is also explained. The module describes how climate change can have both positive and negative effects, depending on the ... Read more »

This short module is an overview of the different effects climate change produces in different regions of the United States. In addition to discussing impacts already being experienced, the module presents information on how climate scientists use specialized models and ... Read more »

This module presents radar case studies taken from events in the Caribbean that highlight radar signatures of severe weather. These cases include examples of deep convection, squall lines, bow echoes, tornadoes, and heavy rain resulting in flooding. Each case study includes ... Read more »

Space Weather Impacts on Aviation examines the effects of solar flares, coronal mass ejections, and other solar phenomena on aviation operations. The lesson builds on background science knowledge taught in the course prerequisite, Space Weather Basics, 2nd Edition. The ... Read more »

This 2-hour module presents the fundamental principles of Doppler weather radar operation and how to interpret common weather phenomena using radar imagery. This is accomplished via conceptual animations and many interactive radar examples in which the user can practice ... Read more »

This lesson describes the process of selecting the best available climate projection information and using it to develop “climate-adjusted weather” inputs to be used for modeling climate change impacts. These modeled impacts can be used for planning of future water ... Read more »

The Flash Flood Warning System Reference Guide is intended to promote the implementation of flash flood early warning systems based upon proven and effective methods already in use in flash-flood prone nations around the world. Both governmental and non-governmental ... Read more »

This module introduces the VIIRS imager that was launched on the Suomi NPP (National Polar-orbiting Partnership) satellite in October 2011 and will fly on future U.S. JPSS weather satellites. The VIIRS imager has many advanced features that improve both spectral and spatial ... Read more »

The chapter describes the challenges of tropical weather forecasting. We examine types of observations and weather analysis techniques used by tropical forecasters. Those analysis tools are applied to examples of tropical synoptic weather systems as well as mesoscale ... Read more »

The Suomi National Polar-orbiting Partnership or Suomi NPP satellite, launched in 2011, is the first of a new series of missions under NOAA's JPSS program. Suomi NPP has two major goals: global observing of the Earth's atmosphere, land, and ocean surface; and climate ... Read more »

The second edition of the popular "Remote Sensing Using Satellites" module updates imagery of recent hurricanes as well as other phenomena from more recent satellites. The suggested audience for this module is high school and undergraduate students. Learn about remote ... Read more »

The module examines the 2009 drought in the Greater Horn of Africa (GHA), focusing on conditions in Kenya. The module begins by reviewing drought conditions in the years leading up to 2009. From there, it examines the seasonal climate forecast for the beginning of 2009 and ... Read more »

The rainy season in Sahelian West Africa extends from June to September and is tied to the position of the intertropical front. During this period, mesoscale convective systems (MCSs) often produce significant rainfall that can lead to flooding. This module examines an ... Read more »

This module introduces a variety of meteorological and hydrological products that can improve the quality of heavy rainfall forecasts and assist with hydrological management during extensive precipitation events in Southern Africa. Among the products are the satellite-based ... Read more »

This module explains how climate models work. Because the modeling of both weather and climate share many similarities, the content throughout this module draws frequent comparisons and highlights the differences. We explain not only how, but why climate models differ from ... Read more »

Tsunami Strike! Caribbean Edition offers an interactive learning experience in which learners take on the role of a journalist writing an article for a news magazine. Sixteen multimedia lessons on tsunami science, safety, and history are interwoven within the learning ... Read more »

The Satellite Feature Identification: Atmospheric Rivers lesson presents the global moisture transport phenomenon known as the Atmospheric River (AR). ARs are responsible for transporting the majority of maritime moisture from low to middle latitudes. Advanced satellite ... Read more »

To become a better forecaster, it is not enough to simply know that a forecast did not verify. One must determine what happened and identify methods for improvement through forecast verification. The forecast verification process helps answer questions like: Is there a ... Read more »

This lesson presents an overview of space weather processes, their impacts on Earth and human activities, and the technologies used for forecasting space weather events. The lesson goal is to provide NWS forecasters a basic understanding of space weather and the operations ... Read more »

This lesson is designed to help emergency managers prepare their communities for tsunamis. Topics include basic tsunami science, hazards produced by tsunamis, the tsunami warning system, the importance of public education activities, and how to craft good emergency messages ... Read more »

The international science community has identified a set of Essential Climate Variables (ECVs) that should be monitored for measuring the climate system, how it is changing, and its likely impact on future climate. Environmental satellites play an important role in this ... Read more »

Anticipating Hazardous Weather and Community Risk, 2nd Edition provides emergency managers and other decision makers with background information about weather, natural hazards, and preparedness. Additional topics include risk communication, human behavior, and effective ... Read more »

This lesson explores the dynamic links between temperature, pressure, and wind in the atmosphere. The qualitative description of the relationships is augmented with "Math Sidebars" that provide a quantitative treatment. Numerous applications to climatology and forecasting ... Read more »

Founded in 1830, the United States Naval Observatory (USNO) is among the oldest scientific agencies in the United States. Initially tasked with restoring, repairing, and rating nautical instruments, the USNO today provides precise time and celestial measurements required ... Read more »

Provides a concise introduction to volcanic ash through the examples of the Mt. Pinatubo and Eyjafjallajökull eruptions. This is the introduction to a four-part series on Volcanic ... Read more »

This module is the third in the four-part Volcanic Ash series. It provides information on the impacts of an explosive volcanic eruption to aviation, climate, maritime operations and society. The threats, or impacts, from an eruption vary depending on the eruption style, ... Read more »

This module is the fourth and final entry in the Volcanic Ash series. It covers the tools and techniques used for identifying and forecasting the transport of volcanic ash. Satellite and radar imagery are combined with observations and numerical model output to first ... Read more »

In August 2008, the "Mountain Weather Workshop: Bridging the Gap Between Research and Forecasting" was held in Whistler, BC, Canada. It was sponsored by the American Meteorological Society, UCAR/COMET, and the Meteorological Service of Canada. The workshop brought together ... Read more »

This one-hour online learning module provides an overview of the key concepts, benefits and principles of an effective quality management system (QMS) based on the ISO 9001:2008 quality management standard. It also introduces guidelines for the successful implementation of ... Read more »

Tropical cyclones are the deadliest tropical weather systems. This chapter describes their seasonal and geographic variability and controls, decadal cycles, and history of naming conventions. Tropical cyclogenesis is explored in depth and the core and balance solutions for ... Read more »

This chapter presents an overview of the major cycles dominating intraseasonal and interannual variability in the tropics. Characteristic atmospheric and oceanic patterns for each oscillation are presented and methods for tracking the evolution of these cycles are ... Read more »

This chapter covers remote sensing, the primary method of observing weather and climate across the global tropics. Learners will become familiar with the scientific basis and applications of radar and satellite remote sensing from examples in which clouds and precipitation ... Read more »

This module is the second in the four-part Volcanic Ash series. It provides information about the geological, and geophysical processes related to volcanic activity and volcanic ash in the atmosphere and on the ground. It discusses four types of volcanic eruptions and ... Read more »

This lesson introduces the science of tsunamis: their causes, initiation process, properties, propagation, inundation, and long-term effects. Through numerous animations, historical images, video, and interactive exercises, learners discover the ways tsunamis interact with ... Read more »

Atmospheric dust storms are common in many of the world's semi-arid and arid regions and can impact local, regional, and even global weather, agriculture, public health, transportation, industry, and ocean health. This module takes a multifaceted approach to studying ... Read more »

The goal of the "Role of the SKYWARN® Spotter" module is to provide baseline training for all spotters through multiple scenarios covering the procedures for spotting (including communication and storm report criteria), safety considerations for all hazards, and an ... Read more »

The "SKYWARN® Spotter Convective Basics" module will guide users to a basic understanding of convective storms. Through three different scenarios, you will cover reporting and proper communication of local storm reports to the National Weather Service (NWS), personal ... Read more »

Tsunami Strike! Pacific Edition is a scenario-based learning experience for kids from middle school through high school (approximate ages 13-17). The scenario tells the story of four main characters at different locations in the Pacific basin who are each impacted by a ... Read more »

This module provides information on flooding associated with river ice jams. Based on a presentation by Dr. Kate White, a nationally-recognized expert on river ice, this webcast explores basic river ice processes including the formation, growth, breakup, and transport of ... Read more »

This module allows users to explore the flood forecasting process by assuming the role of a visiting hydrologist intern at the National Hydrologic Service in Main Country. Fictional senior hydrologists guide the intern through an idealized flooding event that takes place ... Read more »

Flash floods can occur in nearly any area of the world. A rainfall-induced flash flood is a truly hydrometeorological event: one that depends on both hydrologic and meteorological conditions. Forecasting flash floods involves a detailed understanding of the local ... Read more »

The Runoff Processes module offers a thorough introduction to the runoff processes critical for flood and water supply prediction. This module explains key terminology and concepts including the following: types of runoff, paths through which water becomes runoff, basin and ... Read more »

Snowmelt is an integral component of the hydrologic forecasting process in many parts of the world. Here, we examine the influences of environmental conditions on snowfall distribution, snowpack structure, snowpack-environment energy exchange, and finally, the rate and ... Read more »

Streamflow routing provides a set of methods for describing and predicting the movement of water from one point to another along a river. Typically, this process involves predicting the shape of a hydrograph downstream from a particular location in a channel, reservoir, or ... Read more »

Flood frequency analysis uses historical flow records to both estimate the frequency with which floods of a certain magnitude may occur and predict the possible flood magnitude over a certain time period. This module offers a thorough introduction to appropriately ... Read more »

This chapter introduces learners to tropical meteorology including various methods of defining the tropics. An overview of energy balance and the global climate system is presented. The role of the tropics in the global energy and momentum balance is presented. Atmospheric ... Read more »

The purpose of this unit is to introduce the online version of the Intermediate Wildland Fire Behavior, S-290 course. The unit discusses the overall course objectives, the content covered in the twelve units comprising this course, course navigation, and the contributors ... Read more »

This module first introduces forecasters to aviation-forecast customers and their needs, and discusses how fog impacts aviation operations. The main content of the module then explains the physical processes and life cycle of radiation and advection fog, including their ... Read more »

Forecasters utilize downscaled NWP products when producing forecasts of predictable features, such as terrain-related and coastal features, at finer resolution than provided by most NWP models directly. This lesson is designed to help the forecaster determine which ... Read more »

The role of unit hydrograph theory in the flood prediction process is to provide an estimate of streamflow that results from a given amount precipitation. A unit hydrograph shows the temporal change in flow, or discharge, per excess unit of precipitation runoff. This ... Read more »

This module helps students gain a basic understanding of the elements of the hydrologic cycle. The hydrologic cycle is the continuous movement and phase change of liquid water, ice, and water vapor above, on, under and through the earth's surface. This module examines the ... Read more »

Tsunami Warning Systems describes the processes involved in anticipating, detecting, and warning for a tsunami by summarizing data collection, modeling, analysis, and alert procedures used at NOAA's Tsunami Warning Centers. A simulated event and past tsunami occurrences are ... Read more »

Moisture and precipitation distribution governs life in the tropics. Surplus heating and rising motion in the tropics ignites the global water and energy cycles and influences weather in the midlatitudes. This chapter presents the horizontal and vertical distribution of ... Read more »

This module is an update to the previous Satellite Meteorology: GOES Channel Selection module. It reviews the five GOES imager channels and their use, incorporating conceptual visualizations and numerous imagery examples. The module also includes updated information on ... Read more »

Forecasting Dust Storms Version 2 provides background and operational information about dust storms. The first part of the module describes dust source regions, the life cycle of a dust storm, and the major types of dust storms, particularly those found in the Middle East. ... Read more »

The purpose of this module is to train operational meteorologists at NWS WFOs and elsewhere how to maximize opportunities to add value to NWP forecasts. The training includes use of the methods and tools from earlier modules in Course 2 of Effective Use of NWP in the ... Read more »

Each model forecast tells a story about the weather events to unfold. As a forecaster, you employ diagnostics to understand and interpret that story, in order to modify it, blend it with other stories, and generate your own forecast. This lesson will help you sift through ... Read more »

The content of this lesson will assist the forecaster with the third step of the forecast process, namely, determining plausible forecast outcomes forward in time. The lesson will highlight the role of probabilistic forecast tools to assess the degree of uncertainty in a ... Read more »

This lesson prepares the forecaster to evaluate NWP analyses and forecasts using physically based conceptual models of the atmosphere, and the "Vertical Phenomenon Analysis Funnel". This funnel divides the atmosphere into three sections: lower stratosphere and tropopause, ... Read more »

This lesson is divided into three sections. The first section discusses the importance of analysis and diagnosis in evaluating NWP in the forecast process. In section two, we discuss a methodology for dealing with discrepancies between both the official forecast and NWP ... Read more »

As climate changes, dynamic coastal regions are experiencing a wide range of impacts. Sea levels, ocean acidification, sea surface temperatures, ocean heat, and ocean circulation have all been changing in ways unseen for thousands of years. Arctic sea ice melted ... Read more »

Avalanches form through the interaction of snowpack, terrain, and weather, the latter being the focus of this module. The module begins with basic information about avalanches, highlighting weather's role in their development. The rest of the module teaches weather ... Read more »

This lesson, Satellite Feature Identification: Cyclogenesis, uses water vapor satellite imagery to present a satellite perspective of basic features associated with the formation and development of extratropical cyclones. First, through an initial case study, the precursor ... Read more »

This two-hour module examines sea ice, icebergs, and the products and services of the National Ice Center and the North American Ice Service. Topics include climatology and current trends in sea ice extent and thickness; the development, classification, and drift of sea ice ... Read more »

Diminishing sea ice has opened the Arctic to navigation and operations like never before. Forecasters are increasingly predicting weather in support of those operations. This module is intended to provide forecasters with a brief introduction to the Arctic, including its ... Read more »

"Writing TAFs for Ceilings and Visibility" is the fifth unit in the Distance Learning Aviation Course 2 (DLAC2) series on producing TAFs that meet the needs of the aviation community. In addition to providing information about tools for diagnosing low ceilings and reduced ... Read more »

This introductory module presents the basis for the other modules in the new NWP Series: Effective Use of NWP in the Forecast Process. We present the four steps in the forecast process, as determined by best practices in U.S. National Weather Service (NWS) Weather Forecast ... Read more »

The lesson "Bias Correction of NWP Model Data" first describes what affects bias in NWP models: regime continuity, timing of features that affect sensible weather, and existence (or not) of those features in the models. After discussing examples of each of these, three bias ... Read more »

High-resolution models have transitioned from research into forecast operations, helping forecasters utilize additional mesoscale information after accounting for the inherent unpredictability of many small-scale phenomena. This module covers the major capabilities and ... Read more »

The chapter begins with a review of the general principles of atmospheric motion including scale analysis of tropical motions. An overview of the general circulation of the atmosphere and ocean is presented including stratospheric general circulation. Special emphasis is ... Read more »

Vorticity maxima and minima signatures are common features of the atmosphere. They indicate areas of ascending and descending circulation and atmospheric forcing and can be used to diagnose dynamic features such as the axis of maximum winds and deformation zones. This ... Read more »

S-290 Unit 11: Extreme Wildland Fire Behavior covers the characteristics and contributing factors of extreme fire conditions. Fire activity that is considered extreme includes crown fire, spotting, fire whirls, and wind-driven or plume-dominated fires. Description of what ... Read more »

S-290 Unit 10: Fuel Moisture provides information about live and dead fuel moisture contents and their relation to fire behavior. Influences on fuel moisture and methods for estimating dead fuel and live fuel moisture in the field are summarized, and guidance is offered for ... Read more »

This lesson, part of the "NWP Training Series: Effective Use of NWP in the Forecast Process", introduces the student to the full series. Motivation for the series is presented by Mr. LeRoy Spayd, Chief of the National Weather Service Training Division; this includes a ... Read more »

S-290 Unit 7: Wind Systems outlines general and local winds and their processes. Detailed information is provided about critical fire weather winds, including frontal winds, foehn winds, and thunderstorm winds and the effects of these winds on wildland fires. The module ... Read more »

Impact of Model Structure & Dynamics, part of the "NWP Training Series: Effective Use of NWP in the Forecast Process", explains how a model forecast, and thus interpretation of that forecast, is affected by the basic design of the model. Topics include how ... Read more »

Understanding Assimilation Systems: How Models Create Their Initial Conditions, is part of the "NWP Training Series: Effective Use of NWP in the Forecast Process." This module explains the data assimilation process, including the role of the model itself as well as the ... Read more »

This module, part of the "NWP Training Series: Effective Use of NWP in the Forecast Process", describes model parameterizations of surface, PBL, and free atmospheric processes, such as surface snow processes, soil thermal and moisture processes, surface vegetation effects ... Read more »

This module, part of the "NWP Training Series: Effective Use of NWP in the Forecast Process", discusses three aspects of forecast guidance developed from raw NWP model data: Post-processing Statistical guidance Model assessment tools Post-processing methods, including a new ... Read more »

This module, part of the "NWP Training Series: Effective Use of NWP in the Forecast Process", explores how NWP models handle both grid-scale microphysical (precipitation) and convective processes through parameterizations and/or explicit methods, with an emphasis on how ... Read more »

Model Fundamentals, part of the Numerical Weather Prediction Professional Development Series and the "NWP Training Series: Effective Use of NWP in the Forecast Process", describes the components of an NWP model and how they fit into the forecast development process. It also ... Read more »

Distributed Hydrologic Models for Flow Forecasts Part 2 is the second release in a two-part series focused on the science of distributed models and their applicability to different flow forecasting situations. Presented by Dr. Dennis Johnson, the module provides a more ... Read more »

This module provides an introduction to the northwest Pacific for weather forecasters. It to