Atmospheric Sciences 5700 Mesoscale and Radar Meteorology

Atmospheric Sciences 5700
Mesoscale and Radar Meteorology

	Spring Semester 2026 (3 credits)
	M W 11:50 a.m. - 1:10 p.m. (lecture)
	ST E1133

	Prof. Steven K. Krueger
	LSSB W3290
	801-581-3903
	Steve.Krueger@utah.edu
	Office Hours: W 2:00-3:00 pm or by appointment

Syllabus (updated for 2026)
Survey

Diagram of the flow within a supercell thunderstorm

Exams

Midterm Exam: Wednesday, March 18 (tentative)
Final Exam: Tuesday, April 28, 2026, 10:30 am - 12:30 pm (may be adjusted)
Study guide for midterm

In-class activities: (TBD)

Recorded Lectures: Will be announced in CANVAS

Lecture Topics (Tentative schedule)

1. Introduction to Mesoscale Meteorology

Alabama tornadoes, March 2019

2. Meteorological Measurements: Radar

Dual-polarization radar

3. Lake Effect Snow Great Salt Lake-Effect Precipitation

Lake-Effect Convection as Observed by Profiling Radars

4. & 5. Convective Storms 1
6. & 7. Convective Storms 2
8. Tornadoes 1
9. & 10. Tornadoes 2
A New Pathway for Tornadogenesis
Tornado Intensity and Pretornadic Mesocyclone Characteristics
11 & 12. Downbursts and Sting Jets
12. Hail
13. Mountain Waves and Downslope Windstorms

Special Topics

Assignments (dates updated for 2026 but may be adjusted)

Exercise 1: Parcel buoyancy and the skew-T log p diagram. Due Wednesday, Jan 14 by 11:59 pm
Exercise 1.2: Radar meteorology. Due Friday, Jan 30 by 11:59 pm.

Linear Least-Squares Fitting

Exercise 1.5: Lake effect snow: Tom Gowan defense. Due Friday, Feb 6 by 11:59 pm.
Exercise 2: Principles of Convection: Hodographs, Shear and Convective Storms Problem 1: Due Thursday, Feb 12 by 11:59 pm, Problem 2: Due Tuesday, Feb 17 by 11:59 pm.
Exercise 3: Severe Convection: Mesoscale Convective Systems Due Thursday, Feb 26 by 11:59 pm.
Exercise 4: Severe weather parameters. Due Friday, Mar 20 by 11:59 pm.
Exercise 5: More on severe weather parameters: Monday, Mar 23 or Wednesday, Mar 25 (in-class presentations)
Report topic: Due Wednesday, Apr 8
Exercise 6: Numerical integration of the parcel model. Due Friday, Apr 10. Matlab program. Python program. Plots for problem 1(a).
Report: Presentations to class on Monday, Apr 13 and Wednesday, Apr 15; written report due Wednesday, Apr 29.

Notes

Thermodynamics Notes
Precipitation rate
Microburst downdrafts
Microburst 2008 Aug 25: Sounding Surface observations Time-lapse movie
Convective Outlooks and Verifications for March 4, 2025

Skew T-log p diagram

Forecasting Convection

Sounding Station Parameters and Indices (essential definitions)
Convective Parameters and Indices (very useful)
Buoyancy and CAPE (MetEd training module)
A Convective Storm Matrix: Buoyancy/Shear Dependencies (MetEd training module)
Detailed forecaster guide, 33 pages
Climate and Weather Terms Glossary (useful)
Glossary of Meteorology
Fort Worth soundings May 2004
Cumulus levels and types
CAPE and levels on skew T

References

MATLAB Online References

Last updated Jan 20, 2026