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*Updates*
Latest update: 3 June 2011

      Welcome to my weather site! As a person who wants to truly be able brief the weather, or rather interpret what is made available on the internet, we should be more informed, hence one reason for this site. There are SO many meteorological ‘learning sites’ for education (including this one), I want to make learning ‘Coast Guard weather‘ easier by aligning the learning with the missions.

     In this site, I have provided a consolidated references within CGWX, providing such information as CG weather billet locations, weather school information, qualification standards for all units in the CG practicing weather briefing and forecasting, and most importantly credible and reliable reference links, recommended reading, and best of all noteworthy online training available for free.

     To use this site, simply click on the left side menu - the desired link. There is the “Wx Qualification links” which lay out what exactly you need to know to effectively brief the weather for each level of qualification. To learn about each “sign off” or “tasking” click on the appropriate “Wx Education” link. If your still not finding what you need - brows the Navy Aerographer Mate's online manual. Additionally, being a “weather person” it is often assumed that you know about other earth sciences such as volcanoes, earthquakes, tide, oceanography, and even space phenomena…the works! I’ve included links I’ve used in my degree program to assist with answering any unique questions.

     This site is set up for a model "as if" the Coast Guard was to actually recognize weather support as a viable entity within the Coast Guard organization. I referred to qualifications and competencies "as if" they were already in place.

     Weather is not only a science, but an art. Let the experts do the forecasting – NWS that’s what they get paid for. However, since Guardsmen must often provide a quick situational awareness on current and forecasted weather, this site is for you. I’ll take the guesswork out of your weather confusion, and break down what you need and the best places to get what you need.

    1> Reading a weather chart (Basic Weather)
         - Surface Station Plot Interpretation
         - What the public wants in a forecast
    2> What is a front?
    3> How are air masses related to fronts and what you need to understand?
    4> Exactly what is a front and how does it apply to your weather situation?
    5> Operational weather terminology / Symbology
    6> Where to get a reliable surface chart – NWS structure

Situations benefiting from this sited:
     1> Situational Awareness
     2> Pollution responder (FOSCR)
     3> ICS briefer what are you supposed to brief the Incident Command regarding weather?
     4> Coast Guard Weather Flight Briefers (Ashore and Afloat)

      I need to also make some distinction about ‘weather’. All the other military services, including the National Weather Services (NWS) have already made this distinction, and that is weather "briefer" and weather "forecaster." Additionally there is also "operational" and "meteorology” weather.

    Weather briefer. Weather briefing should be performed by a skilled person having basic knowledge of missions being carried out and how surface weather can impact the safety and success of a mission or assigned task. Basic skill and knowledge (link) should consist primarily being able to interpret what a meteorologist / forecaster’s lingo (technical verbiage) is but to a lesser extent, and of course – mainly - surface weather charts and all related symbols. Whereas, aviation weather briefer (link) needs to know - to a greater extent - many of the technical terms and processes used to produce a forecast both at the surface and aloft and the interactions within. As a weather briefer, it becomes critically important to use only sites that are credible and reliable. Weather school is usually a good idea for any aviation weather briefer.

As compare to:

     Weather Forecaster. Forecasting is performed by a skilled expert that has both education in meteorology, and experience in the complex art of putting all pertinent pieces together into a 4 dimension ‘image’ and is then able to communication this ‘image’ in words that the public can understand. For purposes of Coast Guard Weather – forecasting is not something needed, let the experts do the forecasting!

     Operational weather is more an art of interpreting what the forecast is going to be, rather than with theories of meteorology, dealing instead with how the forecast will impact day to day operations. Applications include how the weather will affect CG pilots, a pollutions response, or any other incident management situation in order to both keep our Coasties safe, and successfully carry out our Coast Guard missions out.

As compared to;

     Meteorology is the complex science (using math, climate, physics - fluid dynamics, thermodynamics, geography, chemistry, oceanography…etc) that deals with interactions between earth’s surface and the motions within the atmosphere. It is the job of a meteorologist to conjure all relevant pieces together into a 4 dimensional ‘image’ and put this image into a model for a best case weather forecast. Only a true forecaster can do this, someone who understands the pure mathematical science.