Marine Weather Forecasting Webinar

“ I must go down to the seas again,
to the lonely sea and the sky…”
John Masefield

Ever since mariners set out to sea, weather has been a vital concern to them. The sails and courses they set and even their lives were and still are weather dependent. This Marine Weather Forecasting seminar deals with these same ages-old concerns, but in a modern way taking full advantage of today’s meteorological advances and presenting it via the Internet as a webinar.

Marine Weather Forecasting will particularly appeal to coastal and offshore cruisers. Boaters will be introduced to and taught how to use the 500 mb chart. The webinar also is intended for those with a broader interest in marine weather. Topics include:

• Review of Surface Maps and Winds
• Upper-Air Winds and Charts
• The 500 mb Chart
• GRIB Forecasts
• NWS Marine Weather Forecasts.

Webinar participants will be able to download in pdf format:

• The classic article co-authored by Joe Sienkiewicz (NOAA/NWS) and Lee Chesneau (Lee Chesneau’s Weather): Mariner’s Guide to the 500-Millibar Chart
• A Webinar Guide with slide images and complete notes.

This webinar contains advanced material. While there are no prerequisites and everyone is welcome to take this webinar, those with some weather knowledge (e.g., preferably through the USPS Weather course, but also the Basic Weather and Forecasting seminar or its online version—Weather for Boaters) will get the most out of it.

The webinar will be recorded so those who cannot participate on the date and time it is given or those who would like to review the presentation will be able to do so later. A record will be kept of those who participate (not just register) and they will receive USPS credit for having taken it.

Public announcements will be made and notices will be sent in advance of the next webinar so those wishing to participate will have ample time to register. There is no fixed schedule.