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University of Maryland Skywarn Main Page

In the fall and spring of each year the graduate students of the University of Maryland Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences Department (MetoGrads) sponsor a Skywarn class as a public service to the local community. Though we offer logistical support and registration, we do not run the classes and serve in no official capacity. We are happy to attempt to answer questions, but in many cases pertinent and more authoritative information can be found on the National or Local Skywarn webpages of the National Weather Service.

The MetoGrads also sometimes host an advanced Skywarn class in the fall. These classes are described at this link.

Note that these classes all require Basics I as a prerequisite. If you have not had Basics I but would still like to attend, we would strongly recommend that you review the Basics I materials posted online before attending. Note that you will not receive credit for this class unless unless you have had Basics I.

We have a mailing list available for people who are interested in being notified when courses are being offered. The mailing list is low traffic, generally with 3-5 emails sent out per year. Sign up today!

Skywarn Basics I class: February 13, 2010, 11:00 am-3:00 pm

Click the 'Skywarn' link for registration.

This semester we are offering one class:

SKYWARN BASICS I CLASS

This class is essential for becoming a Skywarn Spotter. Basics I is the first class in the series of Skywarn classes and is a prerequisite for all other Skywarn classes. Basics I is a 3-hour class that covers the basics of how Skywarn and the National Weather Service operate, what you need to report, and how to detect severe weather conditions, such as intense thunderstorms and tornadoes.

Skywarn Basics I Supplementary Materials

Here are slides from Barbara Watson's 2003 presentation. It is nearly identical to Dave Manning's 2005 presentation, and since the movies are from the earlier presentation to avoid confusion we will keep the old one.

Basics I slides:

Basics I movies:

Here are some of the movies that go with the presentation. Thanks to Craig Carigan who worked on converting these to Windows Metafile Viewer format so that they can be viewed on most Windows PCs. For those he could figure out, the slide numbers are listed in parentheses: (1.2.48) means "Basics 1, part 2, slide 48".

Skywarn Basics II Supplementary Material

Basics II slides:

Skywarn Winter Storms Supplementary Material

Winter Storms slides