UBC  ATSC 201 - Meteorology of Storms

Topic Calendar - Fall 2025


In the calendar below, click on the Week to see the reading, homework, and lab assignments due that week. 

Week Monday (D1) Wednesday (D3) Friday (D5)
Week 1 1 Sep.
Holiday
3 Sep. (W1D3)
Welcome, Meteorological Conventions, JiTT Methods & Thunderstorm Intro. 
5 Sep. (W1D5)
Meteorological Variables, Basic Thermo, Standard Atmosphere & Excel Demo #1
Week 2 8 Sep.  (W2D1)
Basic Thermo,  Hydrostatic Relationships & Excel Demo #2. Thunderstorm Intro.
10 Sep.  (W2D3)
Thunderstorm Characteristics , Types , Cells, Associated Clouds
12 Sep. (W2D5)
Thunderstorm Supercells, Derecho & Storm Chasing Tips
Week 3 15 Sep.  (W3D1)
Radar image interpretation
17 Sep. (W3D3)
Atmos. Radiation
19 Sep .  (W3D5)
Forces acting on the air
Week 4 22 Sep. (W4D1)
Hodographs 
24 Sep. (W4D3)
Horizontal Winds
26 Sep. (W4D5) -
Vertical Winds,
 Week 5 29 Sep. (W5D1) -  
 Continuity,  Vorticity & Helicity
1 Oct. (W5D3)
Helicity, Tornadoes
3 Oct. (W5D5)
Mesoscale Convective Systems (MCS), Heavy Rain, Hail.
Week 6 6 Oct. (W6D1)
Videos on Tornadoes, Lightning & Thunder, Hail

8 Oct. (W6D3)
Lagrangian heat budget


10 Oct. (W6D5)
 Eulerian heat budget
Week 7 13 Oct. (W7D1) - Holiday
 
15 Oct. (W7D3)
Moisture: Saturation & Variables, Diagrams
17 Oct. (W7D5)
Moisture Budgets: Lagrangian & Eulerian.
Week 8 20 Oct. (W8D1)
Thermo Diagrams - Part 1: Components, Types, & Thermo State
22 Oct. (W8D3)
Thermo Diagrams - Part 2: Applications
24 Oct. (W8D5)
Soundings, Static Stability, and CAPE
Week 9 27 Oct. (W9D1)
Downbursts & Gust Fronts
29 Oct. (W9D3)
Midterm Exam - In class.
(open book, open notes, open calculator.)
31 Oct (W9D5)
Cloud Identification,

Week 10 3 Nov. (W10D1)
 Global Circulation -part 1: Description, Differential Heating;  Thermal Circulations, Geostrophic Adjustment
5 Nov. (W10D3)
Global Circulation - part 2: Thermal Wind Effect, Jet Streams and Rossby Waves
7 Nov. (W10D5)
Airmasses & Fronts- Part 1: Horizontal Structure & Evolution
Week 11 11 Nov. (W11D1) - Fall Break Holiday

13 Nov. (W11D3) - Fall Break Holiday
14 Nov. (W11D5)
 Satellite-Image Interpretation
Week 12 17 Nov. (W12D1)
Synoptic Weather Maps, Isopleth Tutorial.
19 Nov. (W12D3)
Fronts-part 2: Vertical Structure
21 Nov. (W12D5)
Extratropical Cyclones: Characteristics & Evolution
Week 13 24 Nov. (W13D1)
Extratropical Cyclogenesis: Mountain Lee and Continuity (Rossby wave) Effects
26 Nov. (W13D3)
Extratropical Cyclogenesis: Jet Streaks and Thermodynamic Effects
28 Nov. (W13D5)
Hurricane Characteristics, Structure & Evolution
Week 14
1 Dec. (W14D1)
-Hurricane Dynamics, Thermodynamics, and Models
3 Dec. (W14D3) - Hurricane Climatology, Hazards and Forecasting 5 Dec. (W14D5) - last class
West-coast Weather & Review
. . Optional Review Sessions to answer your questions about the learning goals.  (schedule tbd)
Final Exam - (In the final exam room.)
(time to be set by UBC)
 (open book/laptop, open notes, open calculator.) 
. . .
.

Notes:

Homeworks are always due Monday (unless it is a holiday, then the HW is due Wed ).  Late HWs will not be marked (except during the first 2 weeks of term, when students are adding/dropping courses). ( submit pdf copies of your homework online via the Assignments page in Canvas.)

Online Warm-up Exercises are always due Tuesday before 10 pm, and Thursday before 10 pm.   Do your reading assignments during the day and a half before each Warm-up Exercise is due.

This Fall, you will use the free  iClicker Student app  (previously known as iClicker REEF) on your mobile device or computer.  UBC students get a free account on this iClicker Student app -- use your CWL to log into this ATSC 201 course in Canvas to get access.  We use the iClicker in almost every class (regardless of whether we are physically in the classroom, or teaching remotely via Zoom due to COVID),  so please bring your mobile device with iClicker-Student app to class.  (We will not use the old "physical" hand-held iClicker transmitter this term.)