Jim Steenburgh is a Professor of Atmospheric Sciences specializing in mountain weather and climate; orographic and lake-effect precipitation; weather analysis and forecasting; and numerical weather prediction. He received his B.S. in Meteorology from The Pennsylvania State University in 1989 and Ph.D. in Atmospheric Sciences from the University of Washington in 1995. He joined the University of Utah faculty that same year and served as Atmospheric Sciences Chair from 2005-2011. He has been a Visiting Professor at the State University of New York, University at Albany (2002), a Fulbright Scholar at the University of Innsbruck (2019), and a Councilor of the American Meteorological Society (2019-2022). He is also a Fellow of the American Meteorological Society.
Although his interests span a wide range of weather and climate topics, he is best known for his work on winter storms in complex terrain. An avid skier, he often shares his musings on mountain weather, snow, and skiing on Twitter and his popular blog, Wasatch Weather Weenies. You can also learn about snow and deep powder skiing from his book Secrets of the Greatest Snow on Earth.
Atmos 1000: Secrets of the Greatest Snow on Earth | Atmos 5010: Weather Forecasting | Atmos 5110: Synoptic-Dynamic Meteorology I | Atmos 5120: Weather Discussion | Atmos 5210: Synoptic Meteorology II | Atmos 6250: Mountain Meteorology
"The best class I have ever taken" | "I absolutely loved this class" | "It has easily been my favorite class since coming to the U" | "Would recommend to anyone regardless of their major"
"An indispensable resource for avalanche professionals, casual snow nerds, and recreational snow travelers"
- Dan Nagy, The Avalanche Review
Available from Amazon, Barnes and Noble, University Press of Colorado/Utah State University Press, Kings English, Weller Book Works, and Dollys Bookstore
Fellow, American Meteorological Society | Fulbright Scholar, University of Innsbruck | Named Session Award, American Meteorological Society Conference on Mountain Meteorology | Hosler Alumni Scholar Medal, Penn State University College of Earth and Mineral Sciences | Outstanding Service Award, National Weather Service Western Region | Distinguished Teaching Award, University of Utah | Outstanding Teaching Award, University of Utah College of Mines and Earth Sciences
Jim Steenburgh
Department of Atmospheric Sciences | University of Utah
135 South 1460 East Room 819 | Salt Lake City, UT 84112-0110
801.581.8727 | jim.steenburgh@utah.edu