COMET(R) - AN EDUCATION AND TRAINING-PROGRAM IN MESOSCALE METEOROLOGY

The Cooperative Program for Operational Meteorology, Education, and Tr aining (COMET) was established in 1989 to advance activities in mesosc ale meteorology as the nation deploys an array of new technologies tha t will greatly change current understanding of the atmosphere and the ability to forecast the weather. Three programs within COMET provide e ducation and professional development opportunities for the nation's o perational forecasters and promote research on operational forecasting topics. This article describes how and why COMET was created, the acc omplishments of the three COMET programs since 1989, and a current vie w of the future of COMET.