Practice your forecasting skills with Forecast Laboratory! It contains thousands of charts for 488 spring and early summer days -- including big outbreaks, ordinary scenarios, and null events. You never quite know what you'll get!
When you start, a random day appears on your screen. You are presented with the full spectrum of 1200 UTC (morning) charts, including mesoscale surface maps, soundings, NCEP upper air plots, radar, and satellite imagery. You can send them to your printer to do a hand analysis.
After you've perused the charts, you need to pick a base city for your chasemobile from one of 12 major cities. Then start it on its way towards the target!
When you're ready, advance hour by hour and watch all the charts change. Your target might shift. Don't forget to adjust the position of the chasemobile! It can be a tricky decision, because you can't move it more than 50 miles each hour.
As severe weather unfolds, you'll see reports stream in from locations close to your chasemobile. A karma rating keeps track of how good or disappointing your chase is doing, comparing your own success and what's going on just over the horizon.
At 0100 UTC (8 pm CDT) the game ends and your chase is scored. How did you do? Fortunately, you can try again! There are 487 other scenarios available!
There's no better way to practice storm forecasting, short of doing it in real time!