The planned body of MCS training produced by the COMET Program will be delivered through a variety of components and instructional modes:

Web-based Training

The Web module Mesoscale Convective Systems: Squall Lines and Bow Echoes is divided into three main sections: Conceptual Models, Physical Processes, and Case Exercises. This module will be compiled and made available in CD-ROM format to offer faster, more reliable performance.

Conceptual Models
In the first section, we review conceptual models for the most commonly observed MCSs. The Conceptual Models section presents the environmental patterns and observable signatures which can be used as indicators of MCS structure, stage of evolution, and likely severe weather. Case data is used throughout to reveal the uses and limitations of the application of the conceptual models.

Physical Processes
Just as isolated cells do not present themselves as discrete types, but rather exist in a spectrum of possible structures and evolutions, MCS structure is not an either/or matter. For example, the designation of bow echo vs. a bowing segment of a squall line may simply be a matter of size, although size does have important implications for evolution and severity. For this reason, in addition to presenting current conceptual models, this training emphasizes the effects of physical processes on system evolution. In this way we hope to instill the importance of using environmental parameters to anticipate a range of possible MCS evolutions and cell types.

In this second section, we examine the physical processes that lead to the recognizable conceptual model structures. The Physical Processes section explains how certain environmental parameters can help us in predicting storm evolution, including timing, direction of propagation, and the potential for severe weather.

Both the Physical Processes and Conceptual Model sections are supported by 2D and 3D graphics and animations, including numerical simulations. Embedded interactions ask learners to apply the content, often by analyzing actual data.

Case Exercises
In Case Exercises, we examine five short interactive case studies and provide opportunities for learners to apply the content presented in Conceptual Models and Physical Processes. Using data sets drawn from geographically diverse regions, these cases will reveal the variety of ways MCSs can evolve and demonstrate how forecasters can use available data to anticipate and monitor MCS events.

CD-ROM

In addition to the Web module, the COMET Program has produced a companion CD-ROM module, An MCS Matrix. Much like A Convective Storm Matrix, previously released by the COMET Program, this CD allows users to explore MCS evolution via numerical simulations. In this module, learners investigate the impact that varying shear regimes and the Coriolis effect have on MCS evolution.

Teletraining

A 3-hour teletraining session, Anticipating Storm Evolution: A Case Study Exercise, developed for delivery via audiographics technology, has been offered to forecast offices through multiple sessions at scheduled delivery times. This class presents a large-scale interactive case study in which forecasters must predict the evolution of both isolated storms and MCSs over a large geographic region (several adjacent states). Each session is limited to approximately 20 participants.

Additional teletraining sessions may be held periodically in which geographically defined groups of offices use local cases to discuss local problems and patterns associated with forecasting MCSs. These sessions will reinforce the conceptual material presented in the computer-based lessons and take it a step further by showing its application to local forecast problems. One such session, Anticipating Convection in the Desert Southwest: A Case Exercise is a 3-hour case-based teletraining session on anticipating convective storm initiation and subsequent evolution in the southwest monsoon environment. This session was first delivered in July of 1998.

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