preface

Chapter 1: Cloud Structure
Why clouds can float in the air
The force that causes heated air to rise
Air containing water vapor is not heavy.
How does water vapor turn into cloud particles?
The structure of the atmosphere in which clouds are formed
Types of clouds

Chapter 2: The Structure of Rain and Snow
The key to how cloud particles grow into rain particles
Rain near mid-latitudes
Cumulonimbus clouds that grow on their own
When does heavy rain occur?

Chapter 3: The Structure of Temperature
Radiation that heats the atmosphere
How does daily temperature change occur?
Temperature changes according to latitude and season

Chapter 4 The Structure of Wind
Why does a pressure difference occur?
How does the wind blow on Earth?
How does the wind blow in the sky?
Wind on a global scale
Monsoons created by continents and oceans

Chapter 5: Low Pressure, High Pressure, and Frontal Structure
Why do temperate cyclones develop?
The emergence and disappearance of temperate cyclones
Various formations of high pressure
How does the rainy season occur?

Chapter 6: Typhoon Structure
A typhoon is an organized cumulonimbus cloud
How do typhoons form?
Structure of typhoon development
Why do typhoons go to Japan?

Chapter 7: Structure of Weather Forecasts
Meteorological observations required for weather forecasting
computer forecast
Various weather forecasts

References
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An era of rapidly changing climate
How are heavy rain, typhoons, and heat waves predicted?

The weather is unusual these days.
Localized torrential downpours and heat waves of unprecedented magnitude are now commonplace, and even issues such as food crises and epidemics due to global warming are being discussed.
Weather forecasting has continuously evolved since the 17th century German scientist Guericke invented the barometer to predict storms, but people still wonder about the weather and are anxious about the possibility of unexpected disasters.
Because the weather affects our daily lives.

It affects the production of agriculture and fisheries, determines the success or failure of sales of seasonal goods such as clothing and home appliances, and influences the movement of ships, automobiles, and airplanes.
Considering the weather is also essential for national operations, such as food security and disease control, as mentioned above.
This means that understanding the weather has become essential for us living in the modern world.

It has been over a hundred years since systematic weather observations began.
It is obviously not appropriate for this era to blindly get angry at the sky without knowing why the weather is changing, or to mechanically accept weather news.
We have a science called meteorology.
Now, let's delve into the structure and principles of weather through the eyes of a scientist.
Let's understand how clouds, rain, wind, snow, typhoons, and monsoons occur and change, and learn how to predict the weather based on this.


Understand the principles and structure
An Explanation of the Climate Mechanisms That Predict the Weather

This book is the result of a combination of a meteorologist's expertise and a journalist's flowing writing skills.
Starting with basic questions like, "Why does it rain?" and "How do clouds form?", it explains meteorology, which may seem complicated at first, step by step.
Not only does it resolve the doubts and curiosities about the weather that we had as children, it also reveals the true nature of the weather that we usually overlook.
The special feature of this book is that it easily explains the principles and structure of various atmospheric phenomena.
It does not simply pass over any phenomenon, but examines the principles in detail, providing a foundation for a deeper understanding of the weather.
For example, it explains that clouds can weigh tens of tons but remain suspended in the air thanks to rising air currents and a large surface area, and it explains how clouds are formed from this starting point.
And we will look at how the particles that make up clouds turn into rain or snow based on clear scientific theories.
The fact that rain is classified as 'warm rain' and 'cold rain' due to differences in their formation structures will be a very refreshing shock to those who simply knew that water vapor rises into the sky and becomes rain.
Anyone who has read the "Weather Forecasting Textbook" understands the structure of weather.
When you hear things like, “The atmosphere will be unstable,” or “The typhoon will stimulate the front, bringing heavy rain,” on the news, it means understanding the hidden meaning behind those words.
Moreover, it opens the way to understanding the nature of previously incomprehensible weather phenomena.
Let's take the heat wave that scorched the Korean Peninsula in 2018 as an example.
At the time, there were many theories about the cause of the heat wave, and the Tibetan high pressure was cited as a strong cause.
According to this book, the Tibetan High originates from the Tibetan Plateau.
This plateau has an average elevation of 4,500 m and is located in the middle layer of the troposphere. In summer, the direct sunlight heats the plateau, forming a high pressure.
The high pressure that occurs in this way appears in the stratosphere at an altitude of 15,000 meters, and in the summer, its influence extends to East Asia, bringing about sweltering heat.
In 2020, the Korean Peninsula experienced the longest rainy season on record.
If we understand the structure of the weather, we can also gain a deeper understanding of the causes of the monsoon season that we experience every summer.
We usually know that the rainy season begins when the Okhotsk Sea air mass in the north and the North Pacific air mass in the south meet, forming a stationary front between them.
Of course, that's not wrong, but it's not enough to say that you fully understand the rainy season.
The cause and trend of the monsoon front can be accurately identified only by considering the monsoon winds blowing from South Asia and the upper-level westerlies.
In particular, attention should be paid to the jet stream meanders, i.e. westerly wind waves.
There is a close relationship between westerly wind waves and the monsoon season, as unusual westerly wind waves occur, causing abnormal weather.
Heavy rain or unusually low temperatures occur due to the moist currents or cold eddies created by the westerly wind waves.


Over 100 photos and weather reports
Analyze and use your own data to predict the weather.

This book covers how to read and analyze various weather observation data, such as surface weather maps, high-altitude weather maps, and weather radar photographs.
By studying the process and structure of atmospheric phenomena using over 100 pictures and graphs and learning concepts such as temperature advection, baroclinic pressure, and westerly wind waves, you will be able to clearly see the mechanisms of the ever-changing weather.

If you want to directly investigate the weather, use the weather information provided by the Weather Data Open Portal (https://data.kma.go.kr/) and the Korea Meteorological Administration website.
Using various types of weather charts, you can read the pressure distribution and predict wind direction and air mass movement.
Meteorological data from around the world, including the United States and Japan, is also available online.
If you try to forecast the weather yourself using this, you will be able to understand the structure of weather phenomena more deeply.

The author, a meteorologist, has described more easily than anyone else the mechanisms by which the basic elements of weather, such as clouds, rain, wind, and temperature, as well as phenomena such as typhoons, monsoon rains, heavy rain, snowfall, seasonal winds, and heat waves, occur.
It also tells you what process weather forecasts go through.
Because it provides such an accessible approach to meteorology, this book is an excellent guide for anyone who wants to understand the wonderful world of weather and create or interpret their own weather charts.