[Skywarn] Training

[Lloyd Colston]

>From a colleague of a colleague on Facebook:


Let's say you're interested in REALLY learning about meteorology? You have
NO idea how many resources are available today compared to just 5-10 years
ago! You can take most of the core courses that currently cost thousands of
dollars at a university for free at your own pace... For example, a met
degree requires Calculus, Physics, and Chemisty off the top. Once you have
that background, you can start reading intermediate (and maybe advanced)
textbooks and actually learn how to forecast. You still won't be a full
fledged met, but I guarantee you will make better forecasts than now and
you will feel better knowing your knowledge is the reason why. You can find
them elsewhere, but many of these from MIT have full video lectures which
makes the process easier.http://ocw.mit.edu/courses/mathematics/ 18.01,
18.02, 18.03http://ocw.mit.edu/courses/physics/ 8.01, 8.02
http://ocw.mit.edu/courses/chemistry/ 5.04, 5.60 Now you've got the basics!
You can get meteorology books, will understand what you're reading, and
actually start to make sense of the "why" behind the process.
http://www.amazon.com/Introduction-Dynamic-Meteorology-Fifth-Edition/dp/0123848660/ref=pd_bxgy_b_text_z
http://www.amazon.com/Mesoscale-Meteorology-Midlatitudes-Advancing-Weather/dp/0470742135
https://secure.ametsoc.org/amsbookstore/viewProductInfo.cfm?productID=81
http://www.amazon.com/Synoptic-Dynamic-Meteorology-Midlatitudes-Principles-Kinematics/dp/0195062671
http://www.amazon.com/Synoptic-Dynamic-Meteorology-Midlatitudes-Observations-Weather/dp/019506268X/ref=pd_sim_b_1
https://secure.ametsoc.org/amsbookstore/viewProductInfo.cfm?productID=5
https://secure.ametsoc.org/amsbookstore/viewProductInfo.cfm?productID=6 Some
of those books can be expensive, but buy one at a time and you'll be able
to sell them for about 80% of what you paid (if not more.) Does this sound
hard? Yup. Necessary if you want to really know meteorology? Yup.
Impossible? Nope. Just think how much time you are wasting drawing lines on
Microsoft Paint and how those hours could actually help you learn! If you
really wanted to be a guitar player would you be better off spending time
on Guitar Hero or learning chords on a real guitar? One of them is fun in
the short term but offers no advantage towards your goal. Same story here.
So there you go. If this is REALLY your passion, make it something
valuable. If you end up going to college, think of how much easier those
classes will be since you've already invested ahead of time! If you don't
go to school, imagine how much more interactive your conversations can be
with meteorologists and how much of a service your posts will be to
followers...


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Lloyd Colston KC5FM
Altus, OK USA http://wx5em.us
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