Meteorology 302.1
Violent Atmosphere and Ocean
• Instructor: Jan Null, CCM
• Spring 2011
• Tuesday 6:00 PM - 8:50 PM
• Thornton 604
COURSE WEB SITE:
http://funnel.sfsu.edu/courses/jnull/metr302/s11/
or http://ggweather.com/302
SYLLABUS ON CLASS WEBSITE
Meteorology 302
• The one science we deal with every day
• Impacts on all aspects of our society
• What does it affect?
• “(Extreme) Weather Appreciation”
– Fundamentals of the atmosphere
– Storms, Tornadoes, Hurricanes
– El Niño, La Niña
– Climate Change
• No Prior Knowledge of Math or Meteorology
Meteorology 100
TEXTBOOK
• “Extreme Weather & Climate”
– C. Donald Ahrens, 1st edition (2010)
• Bookstore
– or Check Amazon or half.com
– or http://www.ichapters.com
– or Copy in Reserve Book Room
• Internet Access Essential
– Online Chapter Resources
Jan Null, CCM
• BS Atmospheric Science, UC Davis, 1974
• MA Geography (Climate), SJ State, 1992
• National Weather Service 1974-1997
• Adjunct Professor of Meteorology – SFSU since 1987
• Golden Gate Weather Services since 1998
– Forensic Meteorology
– Consulting (Engineering, 400+ TV Interviews)
– Forecasting (PG&E)
– Research areas (El Nino, Hyperthermia)
– Projects (AMNH, BASOC)
House Rules
• Common Courtesy Please
– Cell phones
• On silent or OFF
• If you HAVE to take a call go outside
• No texting !!
– No MP3 players during class
• TH604 Classroom and Personal Laptops
• Only before class and breaks
• ABSOLUTELY NO FOOD or DRINKS IN
PROXIMITY OF CLASSROOM COMPUTERS
Course Plan
• Lecture based
– Fast Paced – LOTS OF MATERIAL
– Supplemented
• by Ahrens’ text
• by web material
• by other AV material
• IMPORTANT NOTE: There is as much
important material, plus classwork and
homework, after the break each week
• All PowerPoints will be posted to class
website
Tentative Course Plan
• Homework/Classwork
– (100 pts, 12 assignments @ 10 pts each)
• Tests: All Multiple Choice
– 2 midterms (100 pts each)
– Final (200 pts)
• Term Paper (200 pts)
– 6 - 10 pages
TOTAL 700 POINTS
• Extra Credit Term Paper (75 Pts)
Course Plan
• Grading
– 90% = A- , 80% B-, etc.
– Adjusted curve
• Integrity
DO NOT PLAGARIZE ! Zero Tolerance!
My Contact Info
• Office Hours
– TH 613
– Tuesday 1700-1800 (only day on campus)
• Contact Info
– Golden Gate Weather Services:
• 408-379-7500
– Cell: 510-928-2824
– SFSU Office: 415-338-7728
– jnull@sfsu.edu {preferred}
• Please put Met 302 in Subject line
Weather Review
Weather Review
Weather Review
Weather Review
Who are You?
Name ?
Major?
Answer one of the following:
- Where do you get your weather info?
If TV, who (or what station) do you
watch most?
If Internet, what site?
- Why are you taking this course?
- What particular meteorology topics interest
you?
Weather vs. Climate
• What is Weather?
– What is Going on in the Atmosphere Now
• What is Climate?
– Weather History
– "Climate is what you expect,
Weather is what you get". ~ R. Heinlein
Weather Extremes
Temperature
• What’s the hottest you have experienced?
•Maximum
•World 136 ° Libya
•United States 134 ° Death Valley
•California 134 ° Death Valley
•San Francisco 103 °
• How many times has SF reached 100
degrees?
Weather Extremes
Humidity
• Which of these cities has the highest
annual average afternoon Relative
Humidity?
A. Honolulu
B. Miami
C. Atlanta
D. San Francisco
Weather Extremes
Humidity
• Which city has the highest annual average
afternoon Relative Humidity?
A. Honolulu (56%)
B. Miami (61%)
C. Atlanta (56%)
D. San Francisco (62%)
Why this apparent contradiction?
Weather Extremes
Temperature
• Minimum
• World -129 ° Antarctica
• United States -80 ° Prospect Creek, AK
• California -45 ° Boca Reservoir
• San Francisco +27 °
How many times has SF had freezing
temperatures?
Weather Extremes
Rainfall
• 1 Hour Maximum
• World - 15.78” Shangdu, China
• United States - 12” Holt, MO (~42
minutes)
• California - 4.70” Palomar
• San Francisco - 1.92”
Weather Extremes
Rainfall
•24 Hour Maximum
• World 73.62” La Reunion Island
• United States 43.00” Alvin, TX
• California 26.12” Hoegees Camp
• San Francisco 6.19”
Weather Extremes
Rainfall
•1 Year Maximum
• World 1042” Cherrapunji, India
• United States 704” Kukui, Hawaii
• California 257.9” Camp 9
• San Francisco 49.27”
Weather Extremes
Highest Normal* Annual Rainfall
• World 523” Lloro, Columbia
• United States 460” Mt. Waialeale, HI
• California 104.2” Honeydew
• San Francisco 22.44”
* Normal – defined as 30-year average
Weather Extremes
Snowfall
• Have You Ever Seen Snow? In San
Francisco?
• 1 Year Maximum
• World 1140” Mt. Baker, WA
• California 884” Tamarack, CA
• San Francisco 3.7”
Weather Extremes
Maximum Wind Gusts
• World – 253 mph – Barrow Island, Australia
• U.S. - 231 mph - Mt Washington, NH
• California – 176 mph Ward Peak (Alpine
Meadows)
• SFO – 78 mph
Weather Extremes
Maximum Sustained Wind
• 190 mph sustained (Typhoon Tip )
Tornadoes (F5)
• ~ 300 mph
Weather Extremes
Thunderstorms
• Genesis of
• Lightning (and Thunder)
• Hail
• Downbursts
• Tornadoes
• Hurricanes
Weather Extremes
United States (World) Largest Hail Record
• July 23, 2010 – Vivian, SD
• 8” diameter, 18.5” circumference, 1.9 lbs.
World Heaviest Hail Record
• 2.25 pounds - Bangladesh
Weather Basics
• Air is a Fluid
• Warm Air Rises
• Air Flows from High to Low Pressure
• Differential Heating drives the weather
• Rising Air Cools by Expansion…
and Cooling causes Condensation to occur
• Sinking Air Warms by Compression
and Warming causes evaporation to occur
Weather Elements
°
°
°
°
°
°
°
Temperature
Precipitation
Winds
Humidity
Pressure
Cloud Cover
Visibility
Climate Change
• Is Global Warming “real”?
– Is it caused by humans?
– By natural climate variations?
– Both?
• Have you seen “An Inconvenient Truth”?
– Credible?
• Other sources of Information?
Homework #1 (10 pts)
Due via Email before class next Tues, Feb 1
Send email to jnull@sfsu.edu with a Subject line
of Met302 and the preferred email address you
would like to use for class communications.
1. Include:
Name:
Email address:
Major:
Class level:
2. Other meteorology classes taken?
Homework #1 (10 pts) continued
3. Where do you get your weather information?
- If TV, who do you watch most?
- What TV “meteorologist” do you like the
best? Why?
- Which Internet weather sites do you use?
4. Why are you taking this class?
5. What is the most memorable weather event in
your life?
6. What particular topic(s) would you like covered
in this course?
7. Name one song title that has a weather
element in the title or a main part of the lyrics!
Next Week
• Tuesday, February 1, 2010
• Weather Review –
• Chapter 1 – The Turbulent Atmosphere
• Observing the Weather
• Intro to Weather Maps