Course Outline:
The readings in Ahrens, Essentials of Meteorology, Fifth Edition, or Weather are shown in ().  Pages are the same. If you purchased another edition the pages will be different but the content will be essentially the same.

Quick Start Mini-Course

Introduction. Temperature and its measurement (25-27, 69-75) 
Pressure and its measurement (141-148)
Wind and humidity (161-164) 
Surface weather map 
Fronts and cyclones. Upper air observations
Upper air charts. Weather satellite imagery  (240-243)
Weather radar  (135-137)
Identifying clouds (97-107) 

The Basics

Composition and origin of the atmosphere (1-7) 
Vertical structure of the atmosphere (8-13 )
Gas laws. Adiabatic warming and cooling (31)
Moisture and its measurement (79-90)
Condensation, evaporation, and latent heat (91-96, 26-30) 
Dew, frost, and fog
Stability and instability (112-116) 
Cloud development (117-126) 
Precipitation mechanisms and weather modification (127-137)
Force and motion. Coriolis and pressure gradient forces (148-156)
Geostrophic balance. Effects of friction and topography 
Radiation laws. Solar and terrestrial (infrared) radiation (31-39, 40-51)
Greenhouse effect and global warming  (402-411)
Optical phenomena (416-433) 

Storms and Weather Systems

Global wind systems (184-189)
Air masses and fronts (204-213)
Midlatitude cyclones and their development (213-229) 
Local winds (sea breezes, mountain/valley winds) (170-182)
Thunderstorms (263-282) 
Tornadoes (283-295) 
Hurricanes and tropical meteorology (300-324)  

Northwest Weather

Weather of the Pacific Northwest: an overview 
Northwest windstorms and snowstorms 

Weather Forecasting

Weather forecasting (235-253) 
Personal weather forecasting; how to find reliable weather data on the net. 

Additional Topics

El Nino/ENSO and it local/global effects (192-198)
Air pollution and the ozone hole