Here to Learn

[Blair]

Hey all I wasnt sure were to ask/post this so in here it is.

I love weather watching etc , but I dont know enough about the hows and whys etc. So if I ask a dumb question please be understanding.

Got any good tips/sites for me to do same swatting up on???

Cheers
Blair

[Vertigo]

the best tip i can give is to go up on top of a hill during a storm warned day (obviously taking care not to be struck by lightning!) - you will see things you would never have seen from the ground, gives a whole new perspective. once you start seeing for yourself that weather really is a localized event, you begin to understand the dynamics involved. also, thunderstorms are nothing but warm surface air rising through colder upper air - watch youtube cumulonimbus timelapse videos to see what i mean, such as...

...

sorry, got distracted! (easy to do )

... such as this

[NZstorm]

Hi Blair, watching the weather on a daily basis while keeping an eye on the weather charts is a great way to learn the weather. This URL has some good reading material, just pick your topic.

http://www.theweatherprediction.com/habyhints/

[Vertigo]

the thing about that particular link, which i also used while learning everything, is that it tends to bombard you with infomation that may not be necessary to be exposed to at this stage.

do check it out, but dont be concerned if it doesnt make sense - yet!

i would recommend starting with google searching for lessons on CAPE, LI, convective inhibition, and upper atmopheric conditions, move on to learning how to read atmospheric soundings (also known as skew-t diagrams), and then you should have a good base to learn whatever else you want to know.

[gllitz]

Vertigo is absolutely right...AND...here is a really good website which explains a snow storm event back in 2003 for the Eastern US:

http://dewx.easternuswx.com/Intro.html

While the focus there is on the storm that happened, I think the author does a fantastic job of trying to keep things as simple as possble when it comes to explaning things...(YES, I know, and before you guys start into continental vs island climates...blah blah blah...the guy gives REALLY good explanations!)