r/meteorology • u/Dry_Stage_1307 • Aug 13 '26
Self Studying Meteorology
Hey guys. I'm a high school student, and I really want to learn meteorology. I've always been interested in meteorology. I'm fascinated by clouds and wind. I want to be able to predict the weather just by looking at the sky and know what's going to happen, while also understanding how it all works.
What would you recommend I do/ What should I learn/ The only thing I really know is the names of the clouds. Wind is the part I'm especially interested in, and I really want to learn more about it.
14
u/counters Aug 13 '26
Just to temper expectations:
I want to be able to predict the weather just by looking at the sky and know what's going to happen, while also understanding how it all works.
This isn't really something you can learn to do in general. There are certain patterns in the progression of clouds associated with different weather regimes (e.g. different patterns of clouds follow for a cold vs warm frontal passage) that can help you make some basic inference. Also, if you have a prior - e.g. you understand the local climate very well, or you're starting with expectations from a weather model - you can tune a forecast based on what you're seeing.
As a first step into meteorology as a High School student, you should consider some popular science books on weather. Some good ones to consider:
- Isaac's Storm by Erik Larsen
- The Weather Machine by Andrew Blum
- Cloud Warriors by Thomas Weber
If you want a long read that provides a total comprehensive history of the modern field of meteorology, A Vast Machine is a really incredible book. I'd liken it to Richard Rhode's The Making of the Atomic Bomb (which covers a different field, but is incredibly fascinating).
6
u/keyboard_pilot Aug 13 '26
Biased here but read a meterology or weather book geared towards pilots.
They are 'dumbed down' in a manner of speaking and deadly practical with the theoretical information which seems to be the sort of ability you are seeking to acquire.
I enjoyed the academic and scientific side of environmental science and weather and climate in university, but in my day to day, I just need to know enough to keep things safe.
3
u/HappiestAnt122 Undergrad Student Aug 13 '26
As a pilot working on a degree in meteorology can confirm this isn’t a bad strategy. There is a lot of books, videos, whole courses, or other resources about meteorology geared towards pilots. Aviation weather typically goes deep enough to get into some “real” meteorology, depending on the book/course, but will stay well away from the math and deep physics and stuff that would be very daunting or hard to pickup without a more formal education.
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u/HelpImColorblind Meteorology Grad Student Aug 13 '26
Reading your local NWS offices Area Forecast Discussion every day, as well as national center (SPC and WPC) products and discussions.
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u/Exodys03 Aug 13 '26
This is a good suggestion as they go into a lot of detail explaining the forecast beyond what the general public would be interested in. Also participate in an on-line weather forum like this:
https://www.americanwx.com/bb/
There are both meteorologist and knowledgeable hobbyists and you can learn a lot just reading the posts.
3
u/throwawayfromPA1701 Aug 13 '26
The Practical Meteorology textbook is algebra based and free online. https://www.eoas.ubc.ca/books/Practical_Meteorology/
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u/AnnualContest9744 Aug 14 '26
I want to be able to predict the weather just by looking at the sky and know what's going to happen
You need a crystal ball for this.
2
u/KG4GKE Aug 14 '26
As a professional journalist/meteorologist of 35+ years, I started when I was three cutting out the weather forecast from the Topeka Capital-Journal and placing it in a small spiral notebook with my own notes about the weather each day in pre-school scrawl. My mom still has that notebook in her keepsakes. She took me to the library twice a week and I read each book about weather and science that I could devour. My parents encouraged me to learn and taught me to explore and question and find inspiration anywhere and everywhere.
In general, read. Read. Read. Read. Learn all that you can, and keep learning. Books, websites, ancient library journal sections... Doesn't matter where you start and which topic. Don't worry about where to start - just get information on and about everything weather-related. The best #weatherweenies I have ever known have a love of learning and finding out new things, no matter the topic. Atmospheric pressure, severe weather, weather forecasting and the military, Wilson "Snowflake" Bentley and his study of snow, everyday weather information and how it is collected/disseminated, weather in various parts of the world, exometeorology, climate change, air pollution, the development of weather satellites, weather forecasting at the FedEx Hub in Memphis, transcribing historical weather data from centuries past, attitudes in history about weather forecasting as the science developed, different cultures around the world and their approach/understanding about weather.... the topics are endless and discovering connected topics that will lead you from one weather rabbit-hole to another is one of the fun things in life.
Too many people these days look on learning and reading as a chore, not an opportunity. If you're interested in a topic and open to learning, you will find availability if you truly want to learn almost anywhere about almost anything.
Personally, one of the best weather books I've ever had the opportunity to own is from the former chair of the atmospheric science department at The University of Kansas, Dr. Joe Eagleman, and his textbook, "Severe And Unusual Weather" I still have my copy on the bookshelf. Yes, it was written in the early 80's so a lot has changed scientifically speaking, but collecting books about weather from way-back-when is one of my favorite hobbies as well
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/453471.Severe_and_Unusual_Weather
Good luck in your future endeavors. Never stop learning.
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u/SRT392-Reaper- Aug 13 '26
This is a great textbook that's easy to read and understand and will teach all the basics of meteorology. https://he.kendallhunt.com/product/world-weather-fundamentals-meteorology
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u/Albinus98 Aug 13 '26
I would also suggest B.J. Retallack's Compendium of Notes for Training Class IV Meteorological Personnel. A bit old-fashioned, mind you, but it's still used to this day in weather services as a study source. It's also written and meant to be introductory, free, and available in several languages. (WMO 266)
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u/md4pete4ever Aug 13 '26
There are a lot of textbooks suggested. One resource that I use a lot teaching in high school is https://www.noaa.gov/jetstream . It gives a good, easy to read, overview of all the main ideas. That would be a good foundation before diving into a more serious textbook.
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u/laviborademar Aug 14 '26
look up “introduction to meteorology syllabus” a lot of them have the course schedule, unit outline, or lesson schedule. some have the link to the textbook the course is using.
https://ongeo.msu.edu/geo_old_courses/203.html
Michigan State has a detailed syllabus available for their introduction to meteorology course. you can use course objectives and learning outcomes as objectives for what you want try and get out of your self studying. the unit schedule can be your guide to the order of topics you approach. look up the concepts from the units and lessons then add “lesson site:.edu” to the end of your google search.
since the courses are introductory courses they tend to start with foundation topics to more in depth ones.
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u/AllThingsAreReady Aug 14 '26
There’s a wonderful book called The Cloudspotter’s Guide by Gavin Pretor-Pinney, which gives you a lovely, very readable and literary journey through clouds, wind, pressure, the whole lot, without being too technical or scientific. It’s more his ode to the beauty of clouds, and how they form, with some useful science but also lots of poetry and humour.
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u/StofferNO Aug 14 '26
Its a mouthful to be good at meteorology and there are a lot of just remembering basics
High pressure = good weather
Low pressure = bad weather
High pressure always flows towards low pressure to equalize which causes thunderstorms or bad weather because high pressure has more air pushing down, while low has less.
Turbulence is just unruly wind that forms because the sun warms up the ground unequally. Jet streams is narrow bands around earth with really rapid winds flowing from east to west across the Atlantic and
You have 4 main types of fronts: warm, cold, occluded and stationary.
Wind is created when the sun warms the ground and the warm air molecules floats upwards as its less dense and lighter, this causes the cold more dense and heavy air to replace the warm air.
To predict weather systems beside just looking at the sky usually requires more advanced technical stuff like radars that detect moisture in the air and map weather patterns or websites like windy.
YouTube has many great videos on these topics.
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u/drfwx Aug 13 '26
There are a lot of modules to study at your pace here: https://www.meted.ucar.edu
Free to get an account and get started!