SO 441 - Synoptic Meteorology
The material for this course is an ongoing work in progress. I welcome all comments and corrections pertaining to the content below. Please email comments and corrections to:
Course syllabus
Course policy
Weather discussion grading rubric - Spring 2020
Guidelines - final case presentations
Important weather sites
  - http://weather.rap.ucar.edu/ Surface, upper-air, radar, model data
  - https://weather.cod.edu/satrad/ College of DuPage satellite (water vapor, visible)
  - http://www.spc.noaa.gov/ Storm Prediction Center
  - http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/ National Hurricane Center
  - http://www.meteor.iastate.edu/~ckarsten/bufkit/image_loader.phtml?site=kbwi KBWI Meteogram IA State Univ
  - http://maps.weatherbell.com/ Weatherbell Maps
  - http://www.weather.gov/ NWS
  - http://www.ral.ucar.edu/hurricanes/realtime/current/ UCAR global TC prediction
  - TC Situational Awareness (O. Shieh)
  - https://www.med.navy.mil/sites/annapolis/Pages/HeatStress.aspx Current heat flag at hospital point
  - http://www.ssd.noaa.gov/PS/TROP/ TC satellite images
  - http://www.opc.ncep.noaa.gov NOAA Ocean Prediction Oenter
  - http://www.wpc.ncep.noaa.gov/ NOAA Weather Prediction Center
  - http://weather.unisys.com Unisys
  - http://rapidrefresh.noaa.gov/hrrr/ Short-range model prediction (HRRR)
  - http://mag.ncep.noaa.gov/model-guidance-model-area.php Weather prediction models
  - http://vortex.plymouth.edu/ Plymouth State weather site
  - Tropical Cyclone Automated
Tracking - Canadian Meteorological Service
  - SPC Forecast Tools (Upper-air charts, etc)
  - RAMSDIS satellite (water vapor,
etc.): North & South America
  - US Geographical Boundaries (from WPC)
  - US Geographical Features (from WPC)
  - NOAA Tide Station Annapolis
  - NWS Model Output Statistics
  - Iowa State University MOS Interface
  - CoCoRaHS maps -- good for snow totals
  - SPC Plumes -- short-range ensemble
predictions
  - MeteoChile Chilean meteorological service
  - Servicio Meteorológico de la Armada de Chile Meteorological Service of the Chilean Navy
Lecture Notes & Presentations
Weeks 1 and 2: Weather forecasting and Manual analysis
Lesson 1: Manual analysis
Lesson 2: Weather forecasting
Weeks 3-4: Numerical weather prediction
Lesson 3: Numerical weather prediction (NWP)
Week 5: Vorticity and vorticity advection
Lesson 4: Vorticity
- Derivation: sign of rel vort in troughs and ridges
Week 6: Extratropical cyclones
Lesson 5: Extratropical cyclones
-- Exam 1 --
Weeks 7-9: Potential vorticity
Lesson 6: Potential vorticity
- Derivation: conservation of potential vorticity
Weeks 10-13: Quasi-geostrophic theory
Lesson 7: Quasi-geostrophic theory
- handout: Quasi-geostrophic derivation
-- Exam 2 --
Week 14: Fronts
Lesson 8: Fronts
Labs
Lab 1 - Surface and upper-air analysis (manual)Assignments
Homework 1