MET4300 Severe Weather

MET 4300/5355 Severe Weather (Dr. Haiyan Jiang)

Course overview

This course focuses on introducing thunderstorms, tornadoes, squall lines, mesoscale convection systems, and their interactions with synoptic scale weather. We will also discuss impact synoptic scale weather, such as frontal cyclones, blizzards, and cold waves. We will also look at methods of observing, analyzing, and predicting convective and mesoscale weather including the interpretation of satellite and radar images. A key reason for this course is understanding of middle-latitude, mesoscale weather systems. By “mesoscale” we mean storms that are significantly smaller than frontal cyclones (i.e. typical horizontal length < 1000 km) and have typical lifetimes shorter than a day. These systems are dominated by convection. Their winds are not geostrophic. Mesocale weather is dramatic, spectacular, and sometimes deadly.Graduate students will have the opportunity to work on a research-related literature review and term paper reports to increase their ability to utilize knowledge learned in their research/thesis work.

Class web site: http://faculty.fiu.edu/~hajian/MET4300/MET4300.html

Instructor: Dr. Haiyan Jiang, Email:haiyan.jiang@fiu.edu.

Textbook:

Severe & Hazardous Weather--An introduction to High Impact Meteorology, 6th Edition, by Robert Rauber, John Walsh, and Donna Charlevoix, Kendall-Hunt, 2022. ISBN: 9781792462818. Textbook information at https://he.kendallhunt.com/product/severe-and-hazardous-weather-introduction-high-impact-meteorology-0

Syllabus (pdf version)

Lecture Notes:

Lecture 1: Introduction on severe weather

Lecture 2: Properties of the Atmosphere

Lecture 3: Meteorological Measurements

Lecture 4: Radar and Satellite

Lecture 5: Weather Maps

Lecture 6: Atmospheric Stability

Lecture 7: Forces and Balanced Motions

Lecture 8: Pressure System Development

Lecture 9: Airmasses and Fronts

WxChallenge Document: FIU WxChallenge Overview