!
ALASKA WINTER WEATHER
FORECASTING
PRESENTED BY: JIM WOODMENCEY
!
The Alaska Avalanche School is a non-profit organization created to provide exceptional experienced-based
snow avalanche safety education to all users of the mountain environment. You have our commitment that
we’ll provide you with the highest quality of training possible. Please read the following information carefully.
We look forward to your participation in the upcoming Winter Weather Forecasting for Alaska Workshop.
DETAILS:
Cost of the Workshop: $500.00 Per Person
Workshop Duration: 2 1/2 Full Days
Tuition Includes: Instruction & Workbooks
Tuition Does Not Include: Round trip transportation to and from the class-site, food and water for the duration
of the workshop, all personal gear.
OBJECTIVES
This course will focus primarily on winter weather forecasting in Alaska. It will benefit anyone with a strong
interest in weather and forecasting, but will be most beneficial to personnel involved in making mission-critical
weather forecasts in mountainous terrain. This course will begin with some general meteorology as a
foundation for understanding of how the atmosphere works. Orographics and how the mountains interact with
the weather will be explored in-depth. Students will learn how to read and interpret all pertinent weather maps
and computer models, with an emphasis on products available for Alaska. There will be map reading and
forecasting exercises each day to give the students hands-on experience.
LOGISTICS
Presentations in the classroom will be supplemented by “live” looks at weather maps via the Internet.
Laptops with wireless Internet capability for each student are required for completing the daily forecasting
exercises. Please bring a laptop or tablet for the ‘live’ exercises.
A mountain weather forecasting workbook and other supplemental materials will be included for each student
in this course.
PRE-REQUISITES
Students should have a basic understanding of the weather and weather terminology, and have experience
navigating the Internet to view various weather maps and products. A technical science background is not
required; however, some pre-course preparation will prove helpful in understanding some of the concepts
presented. A pre-course reading list to include ‘The USA Today Weather Book’, by Jack Williams and ‘Reading
Weather ‘ by Jim Woodmencey are recommended but not required. Familiarity with navigating the Alaska
Weather Pages on www.mountainweather.com is encouraged.
WORKSHOP SCHEDULE: Please see the attached Course Schedule Below.
WORKSHOP LOCATION:
Saturday and Sunday: Alaska Pacific University, Grant Hall, Classroom #315
Monday: Alaska Pacific University, Carr-Gottstein Building, Classroom #103 & #104
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
AAS  PO Box 100145, Anchorage AK. 99510  tel. 907.345.0878  fax 907.274.0317  email: [email protected]  www.alaskaavalanche.com
!
Alaska Winter Weather Forecasting
Course Schedule
Saturday Nov. 8th to Monday Nov. 10th, 2014
Alaska Pacific University, Anchorage, AK
Basic Meteorology
DAY 1: Saturday, 12:30 pm to 5:30 pm
12:30 pm to 1:00 pm
1:00 pm to 5:30 pm
Registration
Introduction & Course Overview
Weather Basics:
Introduction to the Atmosphere
Air Masses, General Circulation, Storm Systems, & Fronts
Interpreting Satellite Photos & Radar Images
Weather Map Prep: Time, Temps, Units, Conversions
** “Nowcasting” Exercise **
Map Reading & Forecast Prep
Day 2: Sunday, 8:00 am to 5:30 pm
8:00 am to 8:30 am
8:30 am to Noon
Noon to 1:00 pm
1:00 pm to 5:30 pm
Review of Day 1
Weather Map Interpretation:
Surface Weather Maps
Upper Air Maps
** Weather Map Analysis Exercise **
Lifting Mechanisms & Stability
LUNCH
Mountain Meteorology:
Mountain Topography & Orographics
Weather Pattern Effects in South-Central Alaska
Numerical Weather Forecasts:
Introduction to Computer Models
Forecasting Methods & Guidelines
** Forecast Exercise – Next 24 hours **
Mountain Forecasting & Other Forecast Tools
DAY 3: Monday, 8:00 am to 4:30 pm
8:00 am to 8:30 am
8:30 am to Noon
Noon to 1:00 pm
1:00 pm to 4:30 pm
Review of Day 2
Localized Mountain Forecasts:
Mountain Wind Forecasting
Mountain Snowfall Forecasting
** Forecast Exercise – Snowfall & Wind **
Point Specific Forecast Products
LUNCH
Other Forecast Tools:
NWS Discussions & Forecast Weather Maps
Long Range Outlooks, ENSO, & Arctic Oscillation
** Forecast Exercise – Mission Critical Forecast **
Course Wrap-up
Course conducted by Alaska Avalanche School & MountainWeather™ Meteorologist Jim Woodmencey