The book begins with discussing the primary atmospheric variables involved in the formation of weather: pressure, temperature, moisture, clouds, and precipitation. These chapters include practical information such as weather maps and weather observationtechniques, as well as the more conceptual aspects of meteorology. The second half of the book focuses on weather and climate topics such as the interaction between atmosphere and ocean, severe/extreme weather, weather forecasting, and climate change.

Steven A. Ackerman is Professor of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and is Director of the Cooperative Institute for Meteorological Satellite Studies. He received his B.S. degree in Physics from the State University of New York at Oneonta, and he was honored by Oneonta with its 2009 Distinguished Alumnus Award. He earned his Ph.D. in atmospheric sciences at Colorado State University. Renowned for his ability to inspire active student participation in his classes, Dr. Ackerman has won numerous teaching and academic awards, including the American Meteorological Society's prestigious national Teaching Excellence Award for "his abundant energy and steadfastness in the promotion and practice of excellence in teaching and mentoring and for the development and wide dissemination of highly regarded learning materials for undergraduate and graduate students in the atmospheric sciences." He has also won the Chancellor's Award for Distinguished Teaching from the University of Wisconsin. Dr. Ackerman's research interests center on interpreting satellite observations of clouds, aerosols, water vapor, and land surfaces. He was a recipient of the NASA Exceptional Public Service Medal in 2010. John A. Knox is an Associate Professor of Geography and faculty member in the Atmospheric Sciences Program at the University of Georgia (UGA), where he has taught a wide range of weather-related courses at the undergraduate and graduate levels. He has also taught meteorology at Valparaiso University and Barnard College of Columbia University. A National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellow and Rhodes Scholar finalist, Knox received his B.S. in mathematics from the University of Alabama at Birmingham and his Ph.D. in atmospheric sciences from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He was a postdoctoral fellow in climate systems at NASA/Goddard Institute for Space Studies in New York City. He has published over 40 journal articles in atmospheric science research and geoscience education. Dr. Knox received the 2010 T. Theodore Fujita Research Achievement Award from the National Weather Association for his work to improve clear-air turbulence forecasting methods. He also won a 2013 Richard B. Russell Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching from UGA, and, in 2012, Dr. Knox was named one of "The Best 300 Professors" in the United States by the Princeton Review. He serves as the manager for'the University of Georgia's "WxChallenge" weather forecasting contest team, which perennially places among the top college forecasting teams in North America.