Mesoscale meteorological processes and the numerical models designed to analyze and forecast these processes are currently in use by the majority of operational forecasters. Although National Weather Service (NWS) forecasters typically have an undergraduate or higher degree in meteorology, forecasters in the Department of Defense typically do not have college degrees. Even though they are quite well trained in synoptic scale processes and forecasting, there is little or no information available, at the proper level, to merge their synoptic skills with the mesoscale processes that actually affect their daily forecasts. To meet this need whereby the less-formally educated forecaster can develop an understanding of mesoscale processes and their application to mesoscale model guidance and forecasting, a Mesoscale Meteorology Primer is being developed.

We thank Alan Bol, Joseph Lamos, Douglas Wesley of COMET for help in assembling the first modules and CDR Jeff Best of the Navy s Professional Development Center for support for this project. We also acknowledge that the source of the web page material shown in the figures is from the Cooperative Program for Operational Meteorology, Education, and Training (COMET) web site at http://www.comet.ucar.edu of the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research (UCAR), funded by the National Weather Service with additional funding from the Naval Meteorology and Oceanography Command. Copyright of UCAR.