Summer/winter forecasting workshopsSection heading
Who is it for?
These workshop courses are aimed at trained and experienced forecasters.
The courses may also benefit those who study past events to determine
'what happened' for research purposes.
You must be familiar with satellite and radar interpretation and diagnostics for atmospheric development before attending this course.
What is the aim of
the course?
The aim of the Summer and Winter Forecasting Courses is to improve a student's ability to add value to the numerical weather prediction product when dealing with mesoscale features in the summer or winter.
What will students learn?
The workshops build skills and knowledge that enable the student
to:
- Demonstrate increased knowledge of the summer or winter mesoscale
processes.
- Apply a range of conceptual models and mesoscale forecasting techniques
to summer or winter weather situations.
- Make more effective use of NWP products in summer or winter.
On completion of the course, the student will be better able to make
early identification of a weather situation that a numerical model
has poorly forecast. This will allow a forecaster to react quickly
and effectively to improve the services to customers.
Non-forecasters can use these skills in post-event analysis to improve their understanding of model weakness.
What does the course cover?
The Summer Forecasting Course has the following components:
Review of PV, vorticity and water vapour imagery. Study of severe
convective storms, including hail, downdraughts and flash flooding.
The handling of convection by the Met Office numerical short-period
forecasting system. Sea breezes. Heat lows. Convergence areas. Upper
mesoscale features. Weak frontal systems.
The Winter Forecasting Course has the following components:
Review of PV, vorticity and water vapour imagery. Fronts. Precipitation
forecasting. The handling of precipitation by the Met Office numerical
short-period forecasting system. Mountain effects on existing weather.
Radiative effects on temperature and fog. Stratocumulus. Road meteorology.
Both courses include practical workshops where participants work in groups to study summer, or winter, weather events. The theory used on the course is briefly reviewed at the start in a non-mathematical way. The course will involve a lot of discussion to ensure both understanding and a sharing of experience.
What is the course duration?
The Summer Forecasting Course is a three-day residential course and
the Winter Forecasting Course is a three-and-a-half day residential
course.
If appropriate facilities are available, this course could also be adapted and provided, by Met Office College instructors, at your organisation.
