As a background for other papers presented in this issue on the 1995 Southern Oxidants Study (SOS) Nashville/Middle Tennessee Field Intensive, the role of meteorology in the field study is reviewed. Descriptions of the meteorological observing systems are given, and the strategy behind the observational network is defined. The tools used in making forecasts and their use for operational decisions are described. In particular, the use in real time of a dynamic boundary layer model coupled with a Lagrangian plume model to forecast power plant and urban plumes is examined. The weather occurring during the field intensive is summarized and put into a climatological perspective. Specific attention is given to the episodes of July 1--3 and July 10--14, 1995, when some of the highest ozone values were recorded. The role of nocturnal, low-level jets observed by the boundary layer wind profiler network in dispersing urban emissions into the regional background is explored. ¿ 1998 American Geophysical Union