Brief Description: AWOC Orientation is a live webinar for students and their facilitators on what AWOC is all about. We go over information about the course rationale, content, delivery mechanisms, schedule, recent course design changes, and Forecast Challenge rules. SOOs who will be facilitating students going through the course are required to attend. 

Delivery Methods: Teletraining and printed materials

Approximate Completion Time: 60 minutes

Orientation Documents:

• Presentation slides w/ speaker notes (8.7 MB PDF)
• Forecast challenge rules (48 KB PDF)

Brief Description: In order for learning to be effective, both trainer and trainee have roles and responsibilities to bring to the task. Learning is not a one-way street from trainer to trainee, but a partnership which depends on the interaction of both. This module will present learning strategies which will be employed during the Advanced Warning Operations Course. This will include a discussion of learning styles, the need for evaluation, and the methodology for simulations which will be presented in the course. Lastly a brief discussion of the Learning Management System used in AWOC will be presented.

Delivery Methods: Web module, printed materials, and support materials
Approximate Completion Time: 45 minutes

Lesson 1: Optimizing Learning

Brief Description: IC Core 2 will focus on various aspects of decision making in the context of the operational warning environment. The topics will include definitions and examples of the three levels of situation awareness (SA) and how they are integrated into the decision making process. Failures of the three levels of SA will be presented with examples, as well as elements that contribute to the SA failure. Finally, roadblocks to good SA ("SA demons"), and their impact on operations will be discussed.

Delivery Methods: Web Module , printed materials, and web support materials

Approximate Completion Time: 2 hours

Lesson 1: The Warning Process and the Role of Intuition
Lesson 2: Individual SA
Lesson 3: Team SA
Lesson 4: SA Demons: The Enemies of Situation Awareness
Lesson 5: Maintaining Situation Awareness by Managing the Unexpected

Brief Description: The content will focus on putting together strategies which will allow the decision maker to make the best use of their skills and those of the warning team. This will include a discussion on the value of expertise, the ways in which expertise can be developed, and what expertise looks like among NWS warning forecasters. One of the primary ways in which expertise can be developed is via post event evaluations. Ways in which these evaluations can be effectively and efficiently accomplished will be presented. Examples of the uses and applications of expert strategies during significant events will be presented.

Delivery Methods: Web module (2.5 hours), Teletraining (1.5 hours), printed materials, and web support materials

Approximate Completion Time: 4 hours

Lesson 1: Expertise
Lesson 2: Cognitive Task Analysis of Expert Warning Forecasters
Lesson 3: Learning from Post-Mortems (Teletraining Session Using GotoMeeting)

Brief Description: This topic contains a variety of lessons that discuss how information flows between the general public and NWS WFOs, including how NWS WFOs can identify erroneous information they receive from the public, the place of weather warnings in a societal context, and the elements of an effective warning.

Delivery Methods: Web module

Approximate Completion Time: 2.5 hours

IC Core 4 Precursor: Radar Sampling Issues
Lesson 1: Mitigating Potential Errors in Spotter Reports
Lesson 2: The Warning Response Process
Lesson 3: Effective Warnings
Lesson 4: Social Science Aspects of Post Mortems

Brief Description:This course describes phases of the crisis communication lifecycle model, emphasizing how the model is applied in the context of weather risk communications between the NWS and our main partners in charge of large venues at risk due to exposures. Module 1 provides four stories of NWS decision support including two that resulted in incident response actions.

Delivery Methods: Web modules

Approximate Completion Time: 1 hour

Lesson: Crisis Communication Cycle & Stories of Decision Support
Story 1: Beale St. Music Festival
Story 2: Busch Stadium
Story 3: Deepwater Horizon
Story 4: Enbridge Oil Spill Story (4 separate videos in MP4 format)

• Part 1 - Overview
• Part 2 - Communications Tools
• Part 3 - Shared Communications
• Part 4 - Resolution to Evaluation

Brief Description: Module 2 describes tools for improving risk management including needs assessment, pre-and post-mortems, focus groups and CRC cards. Supporting templates of the tools are provided. There is an office assignment for this module which requires how to demonstrate the use of one of the tools.

Delivery Methods: Web modules

Approximate Completion Time: 1.5 hours

Lesson: Introduction
Tool 1: Needs Assessment
Tool 2: Pre-Mortem
Tool 3: Post-Mortem
Tool 4: Focus Groups & CRC Cards

Brief Description: This instructional component describes conceptual models of convective storms. The emphasis is on physical processes associated with these specific storm type hazards: supercell tornadoes, hail storms, and flash flooding.

Delivery Methods: Web module

Approximate Completion Time: 2.5 hours

Lesson 1: Supercell Tornadic Storms
Lesson 2: Hail Storms
Lesson 3: Flash Flooding

Brief Description: This instructional component describes the forecast process for threat assessment severe weather threats (tornadoes, hail, and damaging wind). Emphasis will be on assessing mesoscale lifting mechanisms and evaluation of kinematic and thermodynamic parameters for assessing convective storm type and evolution.

Delivery Method: Web module

Approximate Completion Time: 1.5 hours

Lesson 1: Lifting Mechanisms
Lesson 2: Outlook and Short-Term Assessment
Lesson 3: Threat Assessment of Quasi-Linear Convective Systems

Brief Description:This collection of modules demonstrates proper storm interrogation strategies for locating and assessing storm updraft severity and specific hazard assessment of tornadic storms by WSR-88D.

Delivery Method: Web module

Approximate Completion Time: 2.5 hours

Section 1: Locating Updrafts

• Locating Updrafts of a Sheared Cell by Satellite

Section 2: Updraft Strength

• Estimating Updraft Intensity with Satellite: Part 1
• Estimating Updraft Intensity with Satellite: Part 2

Section 3: Tornadogenesis

• Near Range Tornadogenesis Signatures Viewed by the WSR-88D (Part 1)
• Near Range Tornadogenesis Signatures Viewed by the WSR-88D (Part 2)
• Supercell Collapse Phase

Brief Description:This lesson describes a special class of severe convective storms that produce extremely damaging wind. These types of events can occur with both non-supercell, QLCS and supercell structures.

Delivery Method: Web module

Approximate Completion Time: 30 minutes

Lesson 1: Extreme Non-Tornadic Wind Damage Events

Brief Description:These modules describe the convective storm structure and evolution of Quasi-Linear Convective Systems (QLCS) with emphasis on development of mesovortex structures, shear/cold pool interactions leading to RIJ balanced systems, and implications to storm-based warning decisions.

Delivery Method: Web modules

Approximate Completion Time: 1.3 hours

Lesson 1: QLCS Storm-Scale Interrogation and Warning Considerations
Lesson 2: Warning Decision Making Issues with Derecho-Producing QLCS Events

Brief Description:This module takes a comprehensive analysis of various evidence that have changed the landscape of tornado warning guidance and associated decision making since 2002. The recent advances includes the SPC development of a massive, near-storm environment database with storm mode considerations, super-resolution radar data, dual-polarization radar data, and associated guidance on estimating tornado intensity. The instructional component is broken up into 3 lessons to address the guidance pieces individually including near storm environment, pre-tornadic signatures, and nowcasting tornado intensity. A single case study unifies the lessons together.

Delivery Method: Web modules

Approximate Completion Time: 2 hours

• TWG 2013 overview
• TWG 2013 lesson 1: The near storm environment
• TWG 2013 lesson 2: Storm-scale pre-tornadic signatures
• TWG 2013 lesson 3: Nowcasting tornado intensity
• TWG 2013 Quick reference guide

Brief Description: These webinars provide an instructor-led  debrief for the AWOC Severe Forecast Challenge. The session will review the severe forecast process and student forecasts issued for that day and the current week using archived WDTB data such as model data and SPC mesoanalysis. Each student in AWOC Severe is required to attend one of these sessions and have issued one of the their forecasts that day as part of their six forecast challenge minimum requirement. There are six sessions scheduled from April 29 to June 12.

Delivery Methods: Teletraining

Approximate Completion Time: 1 hour

Brief Description: This is a instructor-led training session reviewing AWOC severe weather warning methodology with emphasis on storm-based warning decisions. The learning context involves student-based warning decisions using recent severe weather challenging events. There are six sessions scheduled from June 24 to August 21.

Delivery Methods: Teletraining

Approximate Completion Time: 1 hour

Brief Description: Students will apply AWOC Severe concepts operational context in a warning decision making environment. Simulations will include simulated GOES-R products and related algorithms for application and evaluation in an operational environment. Further details regarding the AWOC Severe WES Simulations will be coming soon.

Delivery Methods: Weather Event Simulator (WES) data with supporting simulation guide

Approximate Completion Time: TBD

WES Simulation: AWOC Severe Simulation Guide (Coming Soon!)

Brief Description: These pre-requisite materials from DLOC address learning objectives dealing with the identification of the characteristics, limitations and applications of several dual-pol (QPE) and legacy (PPS) rainfall products. In addition, instruction is provided on mesoscale and storm-scale objectives meteorological variables related to precipitation rate and duration that contribute to flash flood process. Finally, there is a pre-requisite lesson on the hydrologic characteristics that impact flash flood potential and flash flood guidance.

Delivery Methods: Web modules

Approximate Completion Time: 3 hours, 15 minutes

PPS Rainfall Products (DLOC Topic 5, Lesson 22)
QPE Rainfall Products (DLOC Topic 5, Lesson 23)
Flash Flood Meteorology (DLOC Topic 7, Lesson 20)
PPS Rainfall Hydrology (DLOC Topic 7, Lesson 21)
Heavy Rain Detection (Dual-Pol Radar Operations Course)
Quantitative Precipitation Estimation (QPE) Products (Dual-Pol Radar Operations Course)
Flash Flood Processes (COMET)

Brief Description: Course materials address synoptic-scale patterns that enhance heavy rainfall and flash flood potential as well as meteorological ingredients that enhance heavy rainfall and flash flood potential. In addition, modules address how to effectively use FFMP to diagnose flash flooding potential at the basin level. Best practices are provided for issuing basin-based flash flood warnings, including criteria for issuing flash flood emergency.

Delivery Methods: Web modules

Approximate Completion Time: 3 hours

Flash Flood Track: Training Implementation Information Briefing
Flash Flood Conceptual Models (AWOC Severe IC 1, Lesson 3)
On the Value of Anomalies (High Impact Hydro Events, Part 1)
Ensembles and Anomalies (High Impact Hydro Events, Part 2)
FFMP and Issuing Basin-Based Flash Flood Warnings (Flash Flood Warning Best Practices, Part 1)
How and When to Use "Flash Flood Emergency" (Flash Flood Warning Best Practices, Part 2)
The Meteorology Behind Extreme Rain Events (Flash Flood Warning Best Practices, Part 3)

Brief Description:Students will apply AWOC Flash Flood concepts in an operational context in a two part simulation of the 19-20 June 2012 event from NWS WFO-Duluth. The first simulation application focuses on application of meteorological conceptual models and ingredients for a short-term forecast. The associated job-sheet covers material from synoptic-scale conceptual models to standardized anomalies and antecedent conditions. The second simulation application focuses on the warning decision making process regarding the use of enhanced wording and the "Flash Flood Emergency" statement in a displaced real-time (DRT) environment. The simulation guide contains support materials that illustrate how simulations can be created to support the AWOC performance objectives.

Delivery Methods: Weather Event Simulator (WES) data with supporting simulation guide and job-sheet.

Approximate Completion Time: 2.5 hours

WES Simulation: Flash Flood Event Simulation Guide
Simulation Application #1 Job Sheet: Student Job Sheet
Simulation Application #2 Job Sheet: Student Job Sheet