For over a decade, the Cooperative Program for Operational Meteorology, Education and Training (COMET) has been a leader in providing continuing education to a wide spectrum of users in the atmospheric science community. The rapid evolution of delivery technology for distance-learning materials has enabled the COMET Program, under a multi-agency cooperative agreement, to develop state-of-the-art training in such a way that it not only serves our core sponsors, but also is freely available to the private and academic sectors.

We currently produce distance-learning materials that include Web-based training modules, Webcasts (captured expert audio lectures from our classroom), some teletraining offerings, and courses that employ a “blended” distance learning approach. Web-based training materials are readily available on numerous topics covering new satellite applications, hydrometeorology, numerical weather prediction, climate, and a whole variety of mesoscale phenomenon including a continually expanding mesoscale meteorology primer. With the recent addition of the Meteorological Service of Canada as a COMET Program sponsor, we are now able to offer an entire Website focused on training for forecasters operating in the northern latitudes of North America. Other recent development activities have included Web-based training on dispersion models and a highly interactive hurricane preparedness module for middle school students. All of these training materials are available to the entire atmospheric science community via the MetEd Website (http://www.meted.ucar.edu/).

Additionally, the COMET Residence Program offers a variety of courses and workshops in our classroom facility in Boulder, Colorado. Currently, we deliver courses in mesoscale analysis and prediction, hydrometeorology, basin customization, winter weather, and climate variability. These courses are available to our sponsors and others in the meteorology and forecasting communities on a proportional basis and the lecture materials are available over the Internet. We also maintain an extensive online case study archive that is available via the MetEd Website in the “Cases” section.

Many television stations and companies desire staff with state-of-the-art knowledge on a whole cadre of atmospheric forecast challenges, but often do not have the resources to make the necessary training available. Thus, access to this ever-growing suite of continuing education materials at no cost should be of great interest and benefit to broadcast meteorologists as well as many other members of the private sector.