2027 focus
Severe storms — thunderstorms, tornadoes, hurricanes, and related hazards/forecasting.
Study plan
Setup (team of 2, ~50 min, Class II calculator, three-ring binder; include a U.S. map with state names; no removing pages at stations)
- Expect ≥50% of questions from maps/graphs/images/tables — practice interpretation more than trivia.
- Observation tech: ASOS/mesonets, radiosondes, buoys, Doppler products (reflectivity, velocity, CC, SRM, wind profiles), aircraft, satellite (water vapor/visible/IR).
- Forecasting data: surface maps, station models, METAR decode; severe-weather data preferably 2022–2027; hodographs; model output; Stüve diagrams (clouds, shear, stability).
- States & Nationals only: Skew-T (same skills as Stüve), LCL, CAPE; IDF curves and return periods.
- Environments for severe weather: jet streams, stability, air masses/fronts, shear, atmospheric rivers, drylines; ocean fetch/heat content/wakes; topographic effects.
- Clouds tied to severe events; droughts/heat waves; precipitation types/processes (collision-coalescence, Bergeron, riming, aggregation) and impacts (hail size, floods, debris flows, snow loads, travel).
- Lightning electrification/types; thunderstorm types (single, multicell, supercell, MCCs) structure/life cycles; straight-line winds, downbursts, derechos, squall lines on radar.
- Tornadoes/waterspouts: life cycles, F vs EF scales (pre/post Feb 1 2007), radar signatures (bow echo, TVS, hook, debris ball).
- Tropical cyclones: Invest→Major Hurricane ladder, Saffir–Simpson, storm surge, ENSO/shear/topo effects, eye/eyewall/bands on radar/satellite; winter storms (blizzard, nor’easter, lake-effect, ice storm).
- Watches/warnings, preparedness actions, and the listed historic cases (analyze given data — don’t memorize trivia). Drill binders and station timing weekly.
Tips
Build flashcards for cloud types + severe-weather ingredients (moisture, lift, instability, shear).