December 04, 2008 | A new UCAR COMET course, Weather and Health, will help meteorologists and others broaden their understanding of the impacts of weather and climate on public health. The two-hour module covers the health impacts of heat waves, cold events, storms, floods, drought, poor air quality, tornadoes, hurricanes, wildfire, ultraviolet radiation, and more. It encompasses everyday and extreme weather as well as interconnections between weather and health, and features a game that lets participants test their knowledge.

The course, which was developed with funding from the National Environmental Education Foundation, is designed in particular for broadcast meteorologists, as they play a critical role in promoting good health and helping communities protect themselves from weather-related health threats. It includes a section with story ideas for broadcast meteorologists along with tips on weather and health for their viewers.

The course also describes the public health communication system and provides information about reliable public health services, tools, and resources.

Course participants can access a full image gallery of all the images used and the complete narration transcript. COMET plans to make video podcasts of each section available for mobile use.

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