Meteorology Resources

Meteorology is the scientific study of the atmosphere that focuses on weather processes, conditions, patterns and forecasting. With all the modern technology and instruments available to study and predict weather today, meteorology may sometimes seem to be a modern branch of earth science. Actually, meteorology has very old and deep roots. Aristotle wrote about his understanding of meteorology and weather, including the water cycle, in what he called Meteorology, c. 340 B.C. The 17^th and 18^th centuries saw the beginnings of meteorological instruments, while radar didn't come into use until after World War II, computer modeling began in the 1950s, with meteorological satellites coming into use in the 1960s. Now, meteorologists routinely use the latest technology and techniques to study and forecast the weather from a local, regional or global point of view.

Government Weather Sites

• National Weather Service: Online home page of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's main weather site.

• Department of Energy Weather: Site with links to the seven meteorology websites for the seven DOE monitoring sites, including Nevada Test Site, Brookhaven, Hanford, and Idaho, Lawrence Livermore, Savannah River and Los Alamos National Laboratories.

• Pacific Northwest National Laboratory: Lab that does work for Homeland Security, EPA, and NASA, in addition to the Department of Energy.

• Department of Agriculture: Information about weather and climate from the USDA.

• National Predictive Services: Weather-related support for wildland fires and other emergency situations.

• USGS Hurricanes: Even the United States Geological Survey has a stake in the weather for the government.

Forecast Models

• ECMWF: Weather modeling from the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts.

• COLA: Weather and climate data modeling with analyses, forecasts and outlooks.

• NOAA: Model analyses and forecasts from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

• CISM: Learning to forecast weather in the space environment at the Center for Integrated Space Weather Modeling.

Educational Sites

• Meteorology Guides: Online meteorology guides covering all things weather, including clouds and precipitation and severe storms.

• Air Masses & Fronts: Page from Geography 101 The Physical Environment.

• Meteorology at NASA: A 16-chapter guide to meteorology for both students and teachers.

• Ozone & Meteorology: National Park Service monitoring across the United States.

• AQI Forecast: A site devoted to dissemination of information about air quality and the Air Quality Index.

• University Corporation of Atmospheric Research: A site about the basics of weather and climate.

• Weather Glossary: Need to know what a weather or climate term means? Find the definition here.

• El Nino: A site about El Nino and climate prediction from the University of Washington.

• Climate System: All about atmospheric forces, balances and weather systems from a course at Columbia University.

• Air, Climate & Weather: A concise introduction with lots of links to more topics in weather, air quality, biogeochemical cycles and climate.

• About Hurricanes: In-depth resources to learn about hurricanes at Hurricane Hollow.

• Meteorology: The complete online text of Aristotle's book entitled Meteorology.

Journals, Magazines, and Other Publications

• E-Journal of Severe Storms Meteorology: Peer-reviewed online journal that aims to improve the understanding of severe storm hazards.

• History of Meteorology: Open-access journal published by the International Commission on History of Meteorology.

• The Open Atmospheric Science Journal: Online, open-access peer-reviewed publication on research in atmospheric science.

• Journal of Advances in Modeling Earth Systems: Called JAMES, offers free access to peer-reviewed writings in modeling Earth systems.

• AMS Publications: American Meteorological Society journals available by subscription only that can often be accessed through university libraries.

Organizations and Societies

• American Meteorological Society: Online home of the AMS, founded in 1919.

• National Weather Association: Member-led group that promotes excellence in operational meteorology.

• World Meteorological Organization: An agency of the United Nations dedicated to the safety and welfare of the world's population as relates to weather, climate and water resources.

• International Association of Broadcast Meteorology: An organization that represents the broadcast meteorology community.

• International Association of Meteorology and Atmospheric Sciences: Formed in 1922, this association promotes research in the atmospheric sciences.

• Royal Meteorological Society: This organization welcomes anyone from around the world, with an interest in weather and climate.

Schools with Meteorology Programs

• Ohio State University: School offers both undergraduate and graduate programs in atmospheric and climate studies.

• Rutgers University: Learn about Rutgers' Meteorology Undergraduate Program.

• University of Oklahoma: This school offers an atmospheric science program that is among the top in the country.

• Florida State University: Information about FSU's undergrad and graduates programs in meteorology.

• San Jose State University: Offers both Bachelor of Science and Master of Science degrees.

• Northern Illinois University: Undergraduate studies in meteorology leading to a B.S. in Meteorology.