Courses

WDTB has developed several courses to help NWS forecasters and their partners meet their respective missions during warning operations. Each of these courses consist of several lessons, exercises, job aids, and/or tools. Follow the links below to access these courses. A short summary of each course is also provided.

Distance Learning Operations Course

The WSR-88D Distance Learning Operations Course (DLOC) covers radar theory, operations of the radar, and the integration of current meteorological techniques with Doppler radar capabilities. This course (which takes approximatey 120 hours to complete) is taught via a combination of teletraining, asynchronous web-based instruction, on-station training, and in-residence workshop. The workshop lasts 4 and 1/2 days at the National Weather Center in Norman, OK.

Advanced Warning Operations Course (AWOC)

The Advanced Warning Operations Course provides training on advanced warning decision making (WDM) principles over a variety of topics. The AWOC consists of three topic areas (called tracks): Core (10 hrs), Severe Weather (15 hrs), and Winter Weather (20 hrs). The course is primarily web-based, but also incorporates some teletraining, Weather Event Simulator (WES) simulations, and other excercises.

EF-Scale Training

The NWS uses the Enhanced Fujita (EF-) Scale for rating tornado strength. This course provides training on the details of the EF-Scale and its use during damage surveys. There is also information on two tools (EFkit & WCM Bulleting Board RSS feed) that are available to better implement the EF-Scale in your office.

Dual-Polarization Radar Operations Course

The entire fleet of WSR-88Ds will be upgraded to dual polarization technology during 2011 & 2012. This course covers material on the dual-polarization radar products and applications NWS forecasters need to use these data operationally. The current training (6 hrs) is available to support the five beta-test sites. A deployment version of this course will be ready in March 2011. Likewise, additional training on more applications of dual-polarization radar and WES simulations will be available in September 2011.

Tornado and Severe Thunderstorm Warning Best Practices Course

Tornado and Severe Thunderstorm Warnings are critical products in the NWS mission to save life and property. Key issues have been identified to reduce confusion that can sometimes result when these products are issued. This training (2 hrs) is an extention of various storm-based warning topics first addressed in the original SBW Training Course (2007), and then followed up with Advanced Storm-Based Warnings (2008).  These two courses provide considerable guidance on various storm situations.

The Nation's Weather Enterprise: Public-Private Sector Partnership

The NOAA-NCIM jointly sponsored a Public-Private Partnership Workshop on June 1, 2006, at Howard University. This workshop was a beginning step in a larger effort to initiate true dialogue and collaboration between two of the three main sectors of the weather and climate enterprise. Because a one-day workshop reaches only a limited number of people, we developed this distance education course (4 hrs) to help all public and private sector professionals better understand and appreciate how each sector contributes to U.S.’s highly-competitive weather enterprise.