033
UXUS97 KBOU 121332
SRGBOU
SOARING FORECAST
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DENVER/BOULDER, COLORADO
0632 MST MONDAY, JANUARY 12, 2026
THIS FORECAST IS FOR MONDAY, JANUARY 12, 2026:
IF THE TRIGGER TEMPERATURE OF 59.4 F/15.2 C IS REACHED...THEN
THERMAL SOARING INDEX....................... POOR
MAXIMUM RATE OF LIFT........................ 36 FT/MIN (0.2 M/S)
MAXIMUM HEIGHT OF THERMALS.................. 6937 FT MSL (1636 FT AGL)
FORECAST MAXIMUM TEMPERATURE................... 57.0 F/14.3 C
TIME OF TRIGGER TEMPERATURE.................... NONE
TIME OF OVERDEVELOPMENT........................ NONE
MIDDLE/HIGH CLOUDS DURING SOARING WINDOW....... NONE
SURFACE WINDS DURING SOARING WINDOW............ 20 MPH OR LESS
HEIGHT OF THE -3 THERMAL INDEX................. 5954 FT MSL (653 FT AGL)
THERMAL SOARING OUTLOOK FOR TUESDAY 01/13...... POOR
WAVE SOARING INDEX............................. POOR
WAVE SOARING INDEX TREND (TO 1700 MST).........
HEIGHT OF STABLE LAYER (12-18K FT MSL)......... NONE
WEAK PVA/NVA (THROUGH 1700 MST)................ NEITHER
POTENTIAL HEIGHT OF WAVE....................... 21255 FT MSL (15954 FT AGL)
WAVE SOARING OUTLOOK FOR TUESDAY 01/13......... POOR
REMARKS...
SUNRISE/SUNSET.................... 07:19:43 / 16:56:05 MST
TOTAL POSSIBLE SUNSHINE........... 9 HR 36 MIN 22 SEC (576 MIN 22 SEC)
ALTITUDE OF SUN AT 12:07:54 MST... 28.66 DEGREES
UPPER AIR DATA FROM NUMERICAL MODEL FORECAST VALID ON 01/12/2026 AT 0500 MST
FREEZING LEVEL.................. 5369 FT MSL (68 FT AGL)
ADDITIONAL FREEZING LEVEL....... 10612 FT MSL (5311 FT AGL)
CONVECTIVE CONDENSATION LEVEL... 18579 FT MSL (13278 FT AGL)
LIFTED CONDENSATION LEVEL....... 15170 FT MSL (9870 FT AGL)
LIFTED INDEX.................... +7.2
K INDEX......................... +6.7
HEIGHT TEMPERATURE WIND WIND SPD LAPSE RATE CONVECTIONT THERMAL LIFT RATE
FT MSL DEG C DEG F DIR KT M/S C/KM F/KFT DEG C DEG F INDEX FPM M/S
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
50000 -61.0 -77.8 310 28 14 0.2 0.1 M M M M M
45000 -60.7 -77.3 315 24 12 0.0 0.0 M M M M M
40000 -64.4 -83.9 350 24 12 -2.5 -1.4 M M M M M
38000 -63.1 -81.6 005 28 14 5.5 3.0 M M M M M
36000 -59.8 -75.6 015 34 17 5.5 3.0 M M M M M
34000 -56.0 -68.8 020 38 19 8.4 4.6 M M M M M
32000 -50.9 -59.6 030 34 18 8.5 4.6 M M M M M
30000 -45.7 -50.3 035 31 16 9.2 5.1 29.9 85.9 12.0 M M
29000 -42.9 -45.2 035 29 15 9.2 5.1 29.7 85.4 12.0 M M
28000 -39.5 -39.1 040 27 14 9.2 5.1 29.5 85.1 12.1 M M
27000 -36.8 -34.2 035 24 13 8.4 4.6 29.2 84.6 12.0 M M
26000 -34.3 -29.7 025 22 11 8.4 4.6 28.6 83.5 11.7 M M
25000 -31.8 -25.2 010 21 11 8.4 4.6 28.2 82.7 11.4 M M
24000 -29.4 -20.9 360 22 11 7.1 3.9 27.6 81.7 11.1 M M
23000 -27.2 -17.0 360 24 12 7.3 4.0 26.6 79.9 10.4 M M
22000 -25.1 -13.2 360 27 14 7.3 4.0 25.7 78.3 9.8 M M
21000 -22.8 -9.0 355 28 15 7.8 4.3 25.0 76.9 9.3 M M
20000 -20.5 -4.9 355 29 15 7.8 4.3 24.2 75.6 8.8 M M
19500 -19.3 -2.7 355 29 15 7.8 4.3 23.9 75.1 8.5 M M
19000 -18.1 -0.6 350 29 15 7.8 4.3 23.6 74.5 8.3 M M
18500 -17.0 1.4 350 29 15 7.8 4.3 23.3 73.9 8.1 M M
18000 -15.8 3.6 350 29 15 7.8 4.3 22.9 73.3 7.8 M M
17500 -14.7 5.5 350 28 15 6.8 3.7 22.6 72.6 7.5 M M
17000 -13.7 7.3 345 28 14 6.6 3.6 22.0 71.6 7.1 M M
16500 -12.8 9.0 345 27 14 6.5 3.5 21.5 70.7 6.6 M M
16000 -11.9 10.6 345 26 13 6.1 3.4 20.9 69.6 6.1 M M
15500 -11.0 12.2 340 25 13 6.2 3.4 20.3 68.5 5.5 M M
15000 -10.1 13.8 340 25 13 6.6 3.6 19.7 67.5 5.0 M M
14500 -8.6 16.5 340 23 12 6.9 3.8 19.0 66.1 4.3 M M
14000 -7.6 18.3 345 22 11 7.3 4.0 18.5 65.4 4.0 M M
13500 -6.5 20.3 345 21 11 7.4 4.0 18.2 64.7 3.6 M M
13000 -5.4 22.3 345 20 10 7.4 4.1 17.8 64.0 3.3 M M
12500 -4.3 24.3 350 19 10 7.5 4.1 17.4 63.3 2.9 M M
12000 -3.1 26.4 350 18 9 8.2 4.5 17.1 62.8 2.7 M M
11500 -1.9 28.6 350 18 9 8.0 4.4 16.8 62.3 2.5 M M
11000 -0.7 30.7 350 16 8 7.3 4.0 16.5 61.7 2.1 M M
10500 0.4 32.7 350 15 8 7.4 4.1 16.1 61.0 1.8 M M
10250 0.9 33.6 350 15 8 7.2 3.9 15.9 60.7 1.6 M M
10000 1.5 34.7 350 15 8 8.3 4.6 15.7 60.3 1.4 M M
9750 2.1 35.8 350 14 7 9.8 5.4 15.7 60.3 1.4 M M
9500 2.8 37.0 350 13 7 8.3 4.6 15.7 60.2 1.4 M M
9250 3.4 38.1 350 12 6 6.8 3.7 15.5 59.9 1.2 M M
9000 3.9 39.0 350 11 6 7.1 3.9 15.3 59.5 1.0 M M
8750 4.5 40.1 350 10 5 7.9 4.3 15.1 59.1 0.8 M M
8500 5.0 41.0 350 9 5 7.5 4.1 14.9 58.9 0.7 M M
8250 5.6 42.1 345 9 4 6.9 3.8 14.7 58.5 0.5 M M
8000 6.1 43.0 340 8 4 7.1 3.9 14.5 58.1 0.3 M M
7750 6.7 44.1 335 8 4 8.8 4.8 14.4 57.8 0.1 M M
7500 7.4 45.3 330 8 4 9.8 5.4 14.4 57.8 0.1 M M
7250 8.1 46.6 325 10 5 9.5 5.2 14.3 57.8 0.1 M M
7000 8.8 47.8 320 12 6 9.4 5.2 14.3 57.8 0.0 M M
6750 9.4 48.9 315 14 7 5.0 2.7 14.2 57.5 -0.1 19 0.1
6500 9.5 49.1 305 16 8 0.1 0.0 13.6 56.4 -0.7 8 0.0
6250 9.6 49.3 295 19 10 6.3 3.4 13.0 55.4 -1.3 M M
6000 9.8 49.6 290 22 11 -13.7 -7.5 12.4 54.3 -1.9 M M
5750 7.2 45.0 275 18 9 -50.8 -27.9 9.0 48.3 -5.2 56 0.3
5500 3.0 37.4 260 11 6 -53.3 -29.3 4.2 39.5 -10.1 173 0.9
* * * * * * NUMERICAL WEATHER PREDICTION MODEL FORECAST DATA VALID * * * * * *
01/12/2026 AT 0800 MST | 01/12/2026 AT 1100 MST
|
CAPE... 0.0 LI... +4.4 | CAPE... 0.0 LI... +6.0
CINH... 0.0 K INDEX... +10.4 | CINH... 0.0 K INDEX... +10.1
|
HEIGHT TEMPERATURE WND WNDSPD LAPSE RATE | TEMPERATURE WND WNDSPD LAPSE RATE
FT MSL DEG C DEG F DIR KT M/S C/KM F/KFT | DEG C DEG F DIR KT M/S C/KM F/KFT
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
50000 -61.0 -77.8 325 27 14 -0.2 -0.1 | -60.5 -76.9 345 25 13 -0.1 -0.1
45000 -61.3 -78.3 335 26 13 -0.5 -0.3 | -60.7 -77.3 360 21 11 -2.5 -1.4
40000 -65.3 -85.5 010 24 13 -2.7 -1.5 | -65.6 -86.1 020 24 13 -3.3 -1.8
38000 -63.6 -82.5 025 27 14 6.2 3.4 | -63.8 -82.8 030 26 13 6.7 3.7
36000 -59.9 -75.8 030 30 16 6.2 3.4 | -59.8 -75.6 045 28 14 6.7 3.7
34000 -55.7 -68.3 035 32 16 8.7 4.8 | -55.3 -67.5 050 29 15 9.1 5.0
32000 -50.5 -58.9 030 27 14 8.7 4.8 | -49.9 -57.8 045 25 13 9.1 5.0
30000 -45.3 -49.5 025 24 12 8.7 4.8 | -43.7 -46.7 035 21 11 9.2 5.1
29000 -42.7 -44.9 020 23 12 8.7 4.8 | -40.9 -41.6 035 21 11 9.2 5.1
28000 -39.4 -38.9 020 23 12 8.7 4.8 | -38.2 -36.8 030 20 10 9.2 5.0
27000 -36.7 -34.1 015 21 11 9.6 5.3 | -35.5 -31.9 025 19 10 8.4 4.6
26000 -33.8 -28.8 010 19 10 9.6 5.3 | -33.0 -27.4 015 18 9 8.4 4.6
25000 -31.0 -23.8 360 16 8 9.6 5.3 | -30.5 -22.9 010 17 9 8.4 4.6
24000 -28.3 -18.9 355 17 9 7.8 4.3 | -27.9 -18.2 360 17 9 8.5 4.7
23000 -25.9 -14.6 355 23 12 7.9 4.3 | -25.4 -13.7 350 17 9 8.5 4.7
22000 -23.5 -10.3 350 29 15 7.9 4.3 | -22.8 -9.0 340 18 9 8.5 4.6
21000 -21.4 -6.5 350 31 16 6.5 3.6 | -20.5 -4.9 340 21 11 7.3 4.0
20000 -19.5 -3.1 350 31 16 6.5 3.5 | -18.3 -0.9 340 24 12 7.2 4.0
19500 -18.5 -1.3 350 30 16 6.5 3.6 | -17.3 0.9 345 25 13 7.2 4.0
19000 -17.6 0.3 350 30 16 6.3 3.5 | -16.2 2.8 345 27 14 6.9 3.8
18500 -16.7 1.9 350 29 15 5.5 3.0 | -15.3 4.5 345 27 14 5.5 3.0
18000 -15.9 3.4 350 28 15 5.5 3.0 | -14.5 5.9 345 27 14 5.6 3.1
17500 -15.0 5.0 350 28 14 6.8 3.7 | -13.7 7.3 345 26 14 4.4 2.4
17000 -14.0 6.8 350 27 14 6.9 3.8 | -13.2 8.2 340 25 13 4.3 2.4
16500 -13.0 8.6 350 27 14 7.0 3.8 | -12.6 9.3 340 24 12 5.1 2.8
16000 -12.0 10.4 350 27 14 7.0 3.8 | -11.7 10.9 335 23 12 6.2 3.4
15500 -11.0 12.2 350 27 14 7.0 3.9 | -10.8 12.6 335 23 12 6.4 3.5
15000 -9.9 14.2 345 27 14 7.3 4.0 | -9.2 15.4 335 21 11 7.6 4.2
14500 -8.3 17.1 345 26 13 7.5 4.1 | -8.0 17.6 335 20 10 7.3 4.0
14000 -7.1 19.2 345 25 13 7.6 4.2 | -7.0 19.4 330 19 10 7.0 3.8
13500 -6.0 21.2 345 23 12 7.3 4.0 | -5.9 21.4 330 18 9 6.8 3.7
13000 -5.0 23.0 345 22 11 6.7 3.7 | -4.9 23.2 330 16 8 6.4 3.5
12500 -4.0 24.8 350 20 10 6.7 3.7 | -4.0 24.8 325 14 7 6.5 3.6
12000 -3.0 26.6 350 18 9 6.7 3.7 | -3.0 26.6 325 12 6 6.9 3.8
11500 -2.0 28.4 350 16 8 6.8 3.7 | -2.0 28.4 320 11 5 6.9 3.8
11000 -1.0 30.2 355 15 8 7.1 3.9 | -0.9 30.4 320 9 4 6.9 3.8
10500 0.1 32.2 355 13 7 7.2 4.0 | 0.1 32.2 315 7 3 6.8 3.8
10250 0.7 33.3 355 13 7 6.9 3.8 | 0.6 33.1 315 6 3 5.9 3.2
10000 1.2 34.2 355 12 6 8.5 4.7 | 1.1 34.0 315 6 3 7.9 4.3
9750 1.9 35.4 355 11 6 10.9 6.0 | 1.8 35.2 320 5 2 10.5 5.7
9500 2.7 36.9 350 10 5 8.5 4.7 | 2.5 36.5 330 4 2 8.5 4.7
9250 3.2 37.8 350 10 5 6.4 3.5 | 3.1 37.6 320 3 2 7.0 3.8
9000 3.8 38.8 350 9 5 7.5 4.1 | 3.6 38.5 310 3 1 8.0 4.4
8750 4.4 39.9 345 8 4 8.8 4.8 | 4.3 39.7 290 3 1 9.3 5.1
8500 5.0 41.0 335 7 3 8.5 4.7 | 5.0 41.0 265 3 1 8.6 4.7
8250 5.6 42.1 330 6 3 7.7 4.3 | 5.6 42.1 255 3 2 7.6 4.2
8000 6.2 43.2 320 5 3 8.2 4.5 | 6.2 43.2 245 4 2 7.9 4.3
7750 6.9 44.4 310 5 2 9.7 5.3 | 6.8 44.2 235 4 2 8.7 4.8
7500 7.6 45.7 310 5 3 9.9 5.4 | 7.5 45.5 245 4 2 9.2 5.1
7250 8.3 46.9 310 6 3 9.5 5.2 | 8.2 46.8 255 4 2 9.3 5.1
7000 9.0 48.2 310 8 4 8.8 4.9 | 8.8 47.8 265 4 2 8.4 4.6
6750 9.6 49.3 310 9 5 4.4 2.4 | 9.3 48.7 280 5 2 4.9 2.7
6500 9.7 49.5 300 12 6 -0.2 -0.1 | 9.6 49.3 290 7 4 2.0 1.1
6250 9.8 49.6 295 15 8 6.8 3.7 | 9.8 49.6 295 9 5 6.0 3.3
6000 10.0 50.0 295 18 9 -16.5 -9.0 | 10.0 50.0 300 12 6 -6.9 -3.8
5750 7.1 44.8 280 15 8 -51.5 -28.3 | 8.7 47.7 285 8 4 -17.5 -9.6
5500 3.3 37.9 260 9 5 -40.8 -22.4 | 8.0 46.4 270 6 3 3.2 1.8
01/12/2026 AT 1400 MST | 01/12/2026 AT 1700 MST
|
CAPE... +0.1 LI... +5.2 | CAPE... 0.0 LI... +5.6
CINH... -0.1 K INDEX... +7.9 | CINH... 0.0 K INDEX... +7.5
|
HEIGHT TEMPERATURE WND WNDSPD LAPSE RATE | TEMPERATURE WND WNDSPD LAPSE RATE
FT MSL DEG C DEG F DIR KT M/S C/KM F/KFT | DEG C DEG F DIR KT M/S C/KM F/KFT
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
50000 -60.6 -77.1 335 20 10 0.4 0.2 | -60.4 -76.7 340 24 13 -0.1 -0.0
45000 -60.1 -76.2 325 19 10 -2.6 -1.4 | -60.6 -77.1 340 26 13 -2.7 -1.5
40000 -65.3 -85.5 360 24 12 -3.6 -2.0 | -65.7 -86.3 350 28 15 -3.5 -1.9
38000 -63.6 -82.5 005 24 12 6.9 3.8 | -63.9 -83.0 350 27 14 7.2 3.9
36000 -59.5 -75.1 010 21 11 6.8 3.8 | -59.6 -75.3 350 24 12 7.2 3.9
34000 -55.0 -67.0 015 19 10 8.8 4.8 | -54.9 -66.8 350 22 11 8.8 4.8
32000 -49.7 -57.5 015 18 9 8.8 4.9 | -49.0 -56.2 360 19 10 8.8 4.8
30000 -43.6 -46.5 015 15 8 9.0 5.0 | -43.6 -46.5 360 17 9 9.4 5.2
29000 -40.9 -41.6 015 14 7 9.1 5.0 | -40.8 -41.4 360 15 8 9.4 5.2
28000 -38.2 -36.8 015 12 6 9.1 5.0 | -37.9 -36.2 360 13 7 9.4 5.2
27000 -35.5 -31.9 010 12 6 9.1 5.0 | -35.1 -31.2 360 13 7 9.4 5.2
26000 -32.8 -27.0 360 14 7 9.1 5.0 | -32.3 -26.1 355 15 8 9.4 5.2
25000 -30.0 -22.0 355 16 8 9.1 5.0 | -29.4 -20.9 355 17 9 9.4 5.2
24000 -27.5 -17.5 350 17 9 7.5 4.1 | -26.8 -16.2 350 18 9 7.1 3.9
23000 -25.2 -13.4 350 17 9 7.7 4.2 | -24.7 -12.5 350 17 9 7.3 4.0
22000 -22.9 -9.2 345 17 9 7.7 4.2 | -22.5 -8.5 350 16 8 7.3 4.0
21000 -20.7 -5.3 345 18 9 7.1 3.9 | -20.3 -4.5 355 17 9 7.6 4.2
20000 -18.6 -1.5 350 22 11 7.1 3.9 | -18.0 -0.4 360 20 10 7.7 4.2
19500 -17.5 0.5 350 23 12 7.2 3.9 | -16.9 1.6 005 22 11 7.8 4.3
19000 -16.5 2.3 350 25 13 7.0 3.9 | -15.7 3.7 005 23 12 7.7 4.2
18500 -15.5 4.1 345 26 13 5.7 3.2 | -14.7 5.5 005 24 12 7.0 3.9
18000 -14.7 5.5 345 27 14 5.8 3.2 | -13.6 7.5 005 24 12 7.2 3.9
17500 -13.8 7.2 340 27 14 6.0 3.3 | -12.7 9.1 360 24 12 5.6 3.1
17000 -12.9 8.8 340 27 14 6.0 3.3 | -11.9 10.6 355 24 12 5.3 2.9
16500 -12.1 10.2 335 27 14 6.4 3.5 | -11.1 12.0 355 24 12 5.3 2.9
16000 -10.5 13.1 335 25 13 7.0 3.9 | -9.9 14.2 345 24 12 5.5 3.0
15500 -9.5 14.9 330 24 12 6.9 3.8 | -9.1 15.6 335 24 12 6.2 3.4
15000 -8.5 16.7 330 22 11 6.9 3.8 | -8.1 17.4 330 23 12 6.6 3.6
14500 -7.5 18.5 325 21 11 6.9 3.8 | -7.1 19.2 325 22 11 6.7 3.7
14000 -6.4 20.5 320 19 10 7.0 3.8 | -6.1 21.0 325 21 11 6.7 3.7
13500 -5.4 22.3 320 17 9 7.0 3.8 | -5.1 22.8 325 20 10 6.8 3.7
13000 -4.4 24.1 315 15 8 7.0 3.8 | -4.0 24.8 325 19 10 7.2 3.9
12500 -3.3 26.1 310 13 7 7.0 3.8 | -3.0 26.6 325 18 9 7.2 3.9
12000 -2.3 27.9 305 12 6 7.0 3.8 | -1.9 28.6 325 17 9 7.0 3.9
11500 -1.2 29.8 295 11 5 7.0 3.8 | -0.9 30.4 325 15 8 7.0 3.8
11000 -0.2 31.6 290 9 5 7.0 3.8 | 0.2 32.4 320 14 7 6.7 3.7
10500 0.9 33.6 280 8 4 6.8 3.7 | 1.2 34.2 320 13 7 5.9 3.3
10250 1.4 34.5 275 8 4 6.1 3.3 | 1.5 34.7 320 13 7 2.0 1.1
10000 1.8 35.2 275 8 4 6.4 3.5 | 1.7 35.1 320 12 6 5.5 3.0
9750 2.3 36.1 270 7 4 6.9 3.8 | 2.3 36.1 320 11 6 10.2 5.6
9500 2.8 37.0 260 6 3 6.9 3.8 | 3.0 37.4 315 10 5 8.0 4.4
9250 3.4 38.1 255 6 3 6.7 3.7 | 3.5 38.3 310 10 5 6.4 3.5
9000 3.9 39.0 255 6 3 7.4 4.1 | 4.0 39.2 310 9 5 7.5 4.1
8750 4.5 40.1 250 6 3 9.2 5.0 | 4.7 40.5 310 9 5 10.6 5.8
8500 5.2 41.4 245 6 3 8.5 4.6 | 5.5 41.9 305 9 4 9.6 5.3
8250 5.8 42.4 255 6 3 7.3 4.0 | 6.1 43.0 300 10 5 7.8 4.3
8000 6.3 43.3 260 7 3 7.8 4.3 | 6.8 44.2 300 12 6 8.6 4.7
7750 6.9 44.4 265 7 4 8.5 4.6 | 7.4 45.3 300 14 7 8.8 4.8
7500 7.5 45.5 270 7 4 8.0 4.4 | 8.0 46.4 300 16 8 7.0 3.8
7250 8.1 46.6 280 7 4 7.1 3.9 | 8.4 47.1 295 17 8 5.7 3.1
7000 8.7 47.7 285 7 4 8.3 4.6 | 8.9 48.0 295 17 9 6.4 3.5
6750 9.3 48.7 295 8 4 7.3 4.0 | 9.4 48.9 290 18 9 6.0 3.3
6500 9.7 49.5 295 6 3 5.5 3.0 | 9.7 49.5 290 15 8 5.3 2.9
6250 10.1 50.2 295 5 3 6.4 3.5 | 10.1 50.2 285 13 7 5.9 3.2
6000 10.6 51.1 290 4 2 4.6 2.5 | 10.5 50.9 280 11 6 4.0 2.2
5750 10.7 51.3 290 3 2 3.7 2.0 | 10.5 50.9 270 9 5 -4.6 -2.5
5500 11.0 51.8 280 2 1 7.1 3.9 | 9.6 49.3 255 6 3 -13.0 -7.1
________________________________________________________________________________
THIS PRODUCT IS ISSUED TWICE PER DAY, ONCE BY APPROXIMATELY 0630 MST/0730 MDT
(1330 UTC) AND AGAIN BY APPROXIMATELY 1830 MST/1930 MDT (0130 UTC). IT IS NOT
CONTINUOUSLY MONITORED NOR UPDATED AFTER ITS INITIAL ISSUANCE.
THE INFORMATION CONTAINED HEREIN IS BASED ON RAWINSONDE OBSERVATION AND/OR
NUMERICAL WEATHER PREDICTION MODEL DATA TAKEN NEAR THE OLD STAPLETON
AIRPORT SITE IN DENVER, COLORADO AT
NORTH LATITUDE: 39 DEG 46 MIN 5.016 SEC
WEST LONGITUDE: 104 DEG 52 MIN 9.984 SEC
ELEVATION: 5285 FEET (1611 METERS)
AND MAY NOT BE REPRESENTATIVE OF OTHER AREAS ALONG THE FRONT RANGE OF THE
COLORADO ROCKY MOUNTAINS. NOTE THAT SOME ELEVATIONS IN NUMERICAL WEATHER
PREDICTION MODELS DIFFER FROM ACTUAL STATION ELEVATIONS, WHICH CAN LEAD TO
DATA WHICH APPEAR TO BE BELOW GROUND. ERRONEOUS DATA SUCH AS THESE SHOULD
NOT BE USED.
THE CONTENT AND FORMAT OF THIS REPORT AS WELL AS THE ISSUANCE TIMES ARE SUBJECT
TO CHANGE WITHOUT PRIOR NOTICE. COMMENTS AND SUGGESTIONS ARE WELCOME AND SHOULD
BE DIRECTED TO ONE OF THE ADDRESSES OR PHONE NUMBERS SHOWN AT THE BOTTOM OF THIS
PAGE. TO EXPEDITE A RESPONSE TO COMMENTS, BE SURE TO MENTION YOUR INTEREST IN
THE SOARING FORECAST.
DEFINITIONS:
CAPE (CONVECTIVE AVAILABLE POTENTIAL ENERGY) - AN INTEGRATED MEASURE OF THE
ENERGY AVAILABLE FOR CONVECTIVE DEVELOPMENT, ALSO KNOWN AS THE POSITIVE
AREA ON A THERMODYNAMIC DIAGRAM. UNITS ARE JOULES PER KILOGRAM. LARGER
VALUES ARE INDICATIVE OF GREATER INSTABILITY AND THE POSSIBILITY OF
STRONGER CONVECTIVE ACTIVITY, INCLUDING THUNDERSTORMS. VALUES AROUND OR
GREATER THAN 1000 SUGGEST THE POSSIBILITY OF SEVERE WEATHER SHOULD
CONVECTIVE ACTIVITY DEVELOP.
CINH (CONVECTIVE INHIBITION) - AN INTEGRATED MEASURE OF THE AMOUNT OF ENERGY
NEEDED TO INITIATE CONVECTIVE ACTIVITY, ALSO KNOWN AS THE NEGATIVE AREA ON
A THERMODYNAMIC DIAGRAM. UNITS ARE JOULES PER KILOGRAM. THE MORE NEGATIVE
THIS NUMBER, THE MORE ENERGY IS REQUIRED TO INITIATE CONVECTION. THIS
INHIBITIVE ENERGY CAN BE OVERCOME THROUGH SURFACE HEATING, COOLING ALOFT,
LIFTING MECHANISMS (OROGRAPHIC, FRONTAL, GRAVITY WAVES, ETC.)
CONVECTIVE CONDENSATION LEVEL - THE HEIGHT TO WHICH AN AIR PARCEL POSSESSING THE
AVERAGE SATURATION MIXING RATIO IN THE LOWEST 4000 FEET OF THE AIRMASS,
IF HEATED SUFFICIENTLY FROM BELOW, WILL RISE DRY ADIABATICALLY UNTIL IT
JUST BECOMES SATURATED. IT ESTIMATES THE BASE OF CUMULUS CLOUDS THAT ARE
PRODUCED BY SURFACE HEATING ONLY.
CONVECTION TEMPERATURE (CONVECTIONT) - THE SURFACE TEMPERATURE REQUIRED TO MAKE
THE AIRMASS DRY ADIABATIC UP TO THE GIVEN LEVEL. IT CAN BE CONSIDERED A
"TRIGGER TEMPERATURE" FOR THAT LEVEL.
FREEZING LEVEL - THE HEIGHT WHERE THE TEMPERATURE IS ZERO DEGREES CELSIUS.
HEIGHT OF STABLE LAYER - THE HEIGHT (BETWEEN 12,000 AND 18,000 FEET ABOVE
MEAN SEA LEVEL) WHERE THE SMALLEST LAPSE RATE EXISTS. THE LOCATION AND
EXISTENCE OF THIS FEATURE IS IMPORTANT IN THE GENERATION OF MOUNTAIN
WAVES.
K INDEX - A MEASURE OF STABILITY WHICH COMBINES THE TEMPERATURE DIFFERENCE
BETWEEN APPROXIMATELY 5,000 AND 18,000 FEET ABOVE THE SURFACE, THE AMOUNT
OF MOISTURE AT APPROXIMATELY 5,000 FEET ABOVE THE SURFACE, AND A MEASURE
OF THE DRYNESS AT APPROXIMATELY 10,000 FEET ABOVE THE SURFACE. LARGER
POSITIVE NUMBERS INDICATE MORE INSTABILITY AND A GREATER LIKELIHOOD OF
THUNDERSTORM DEVELOPMENT. ONE INTERPRETATION OF K INDEX VALUES REGARDING
SOARING IN THE WESTERN UNITED STATES IS GIVEN IN WMO TECHNICAL NOTE 158
AND IS REPRODUCED IN THE FOLLOWING TABLE:
BELOW -10 NO OR WEAK THERMALS
-10 TO 5 DRY THERMALS OR 1/8 CUMULUS WITH MODERATE THERMALS
5 TO 15 GOOD SOARING CONDITIONS
15 TO 20 GOOD SOARING CONDITIONS WITH OCCASIONAL SHOWERS
20 TO 30 EXCELLENT SOARING CONDITIONS, BUT INCREASING
PROBABILITY OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS
ABOVE 30 MORE THAN 60 PERCENT PROBABILITY OF THUNDERSTORMS
LAPSE RATE - THE CHANGE WITH HEIGHT OF THE TEMPERATURE. NEGATIVE VALUES INDICATE
INVERSIONS.
LIFTED CONDENSATION LEVEL - THE HEIGHT TO WHICH AN AIR PARCEL POSSESSING THE
AVERAGE DEW POINT IN THE LOWEST 4000 FEET OF THE AIRMASS AND THE FORECAST
MAXIMUM TEMPERATURE MUST BE LIFTED DRY ADIABATICALLY TO ATTAIN SATURATION.
LIFTED INDEX (LI) - THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE ENVIRONMENTAL TEMPERATURE AT A
LEVEL APPROXIMATELY 18,000 FEET ABOVE THE SURFACE AND THE TEMPERATURE OF
AN AIR PARCEL LIFTED DRY ADIABATICALLY FROM THE SURFACE TO ITS LIFTED
CONDENSATION LEVEL AND THEN PSEUDOADIABATICALLY THEREAFTER TO THIS SAME
LEVEL. THE PARCEL'S INITIAL TEMPERATURE IS THE FORECAST MAXIMUM
TEMPERATURE AND ITS DEW POINT IS THE AVERAGE DEW POINT IN THE LOWEST 4000
FEET OF THE AIRMASS. NEGATIVE VALUES ARE INDICATIVE OF INSTABILITY WITH
POSITIVE VALUES SHOWING STABLE CONDITIONS.
LIFT RATE - AN EXPERIMENTAL ESTIMATE OF THE STRENGTH OF THERMALS. IT IS
COMPUTED THE SAME WAY AS THE MAXIMUM RATE OF LIFT BUT USES THE ACTUAL
LEVEL RATHER THAN THE MAXIMUM HEIGHT OF THERMALS IN THE CALCULATION.
ALSO, NONE OF THE EMPIRICAL ADJUSTMENTS BASED ON CLOUDINESS AND K-INDEX
ARE APPLIED TO THESE CALCULATIONS.
MAXIMUM HEIGHT OF THERMALS - THE HEIGHT WHERE THE DRY ADIABAT THROUGH THE
FORECAST MAXIMUM TEMPERATURE INTERSECTS THE ENVIRONMENTAL TEMPERATURE.
MAXIMUM RATE OF LIFT - AN ESTIMATE OF THE MAXIMUM STRENGTH OF THERMALS. IT
IS COMPUTED FROM AN EMPIRICAL FORMULA WHICH COMBINES THE EXPECTED MAXIMUM
HEIGHT OF THERMALS WITH THE DIFFERENCE IN THE ENVIRONMENTAL TEMPERATURES
BETWEEN THE MAXIMUM HEIGHT OF THERMALS AND THE TEMPERATURE 4,000 FEET
ABOVE THE GROUND. AFTER THIS COMPUTATION, FURTHER EMPIRICAL ADJUSTMENTS
ARE MADE BASED ON THE VALUE OF THE K-INDEX AND THE AMOUNT AND OPACITY OF
MIDDLE AND HIGH LEVEL CLOUDINESS EXPECTED BETWEEN THE TIME OF TRIGGER
TEMPERATURE AND THE TIME OF OVERDEVELOPMENT.
MIDDLE/HIGH CLOUDS - THE AMOUNT AND OPACITY OF MIDDLE (ALTOSTRATUS, ALTOCUMULUS)
OR HIGH (CIRRUS, CIRROSTRATUS, CIRROCUMULUS) CLOUDS. BROKEN MEANS THAT
BETWEEN 60% AND 90% OF THE SKY IS COVERED BY THE CLOUD, WITH OVERCAST
CONDITIONS OCCURRING WHEN MORE THAN 90% OF THE SKY IS COVERED BY THE CLOUD.
THIN IMPLIES THAT THE CLOUDS ARE PREDOMINANTLY TRANSPARENT, MEANING THAT
SOME SUNLIGHT IS REACHING THE GROUND, IN CONTRAST TO OPAQUE WHICH SUGGESTS
THAT LITTLE SUNLIGHT IS REACHING THE GROUND.
POTENTIAL HEIGHT OF WAVE - THE MINIMUM OF THE FOLLOWING TWO HEIGHTS:
1. LEVEL ABOVE THE HEIGHT OF STABLE LAYER (OR 14,000 FEET IF NONE EXISTS)
WHERE THE WIND DIRECTION CHANGES BY 30 DEGREES OR MORE
2. LEVEL ABOVE THE HEIGHT OF STABLE LAYER (OR 14,000 FEET IF NONE EXISTS)
WHERE THE WIND SPEED NO LONGER INCREASES WITH HEIGHT
PVA/NVA - POSITIVE VORTICITY ADVECTION (PVA)/NEGATIVE VORTICITY ADVECTION (NVA)
ON THE 500 MILLIBAR ISOBARIC SURFACE (APPROXIMATELY 18,000 FEET ABOVE MEAN
SEA LEVEL). WEAK PVA HAS BEEN SHOWN TO ASSIST IN MOUNTAIN WAVE SOARING.
SOARING WINDOW - THE TIME BETWEEN THE TIME THE TRIGGER TEMPERATURE IS REACHED
AND THE TIME OF OVERDEVELOPMENT.
THERMAL INDEX - THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE ENVIRONMENTAL TEMPERATURE AND THE
TEMPERATURE AT A PARTICULAR LEVEL DETERMINED BY FOLLOWING THE DRY ADIABAT
THROUGH THE FORECAST MAXIMUM TEMPERATURE UP TO THAT LEVEL. NEGATIVE VALUES
ARE INDICATIVE OF THERMAL LIFT.
THERMAL SOARING INDEX - AN ADJECTIVE RATING (FOR SAILPLANES) BASED ON THE
COMPUTED MAXIMUM RATE OF LIFT, AND THE WIND SPEED AND MIDDLE AND HIGH
CLOUD COVER EXPECTED DURING THE SOARING WINDOW (THE TIME OF THE TRIGGER
TEMPERATURE AND THE TIME OF OVERDEVELOPMENT) ACCORDING TO THE FOLLOWING:
MAXIMUM RATE OF LIFT ADJECTIVE RATING
>= 800 FPM EXCELLENT
>= 400 AND < 800 FPM GOOD
>= 200 AND < 400 FPM FAIR
< 200 FPM POOR
TIME OF OVERDEVELOPMENT - THE TIME ONE OR MORE OF THE FOLLOWING PHENOMENA,
WHICH ESSENTIALLY SHUT OFF THERMAL LIFT, IS EXPECTED TO OCCUR:
1. FORMATION OF BROKEN TO OVERCAST CONVECTIVE CLOUD COVER
2. FORMATION OF SCATTERED TO NUMEROUS DOWNBURSTS
3. INITIATION OF WIDESPREAD PRECIPITATION
TIME OF TRIGGER TEMPERATURE - THE TIME THE SURFACE TEMPERATURE IS EXPECTED TO
REACH THE TRIGGER TEMPERATURE.
TRIGGER TEMPERATURE - THE SURFACE TEMPERATURE REQUIRED TO MAKE THE FIRST 4000
FEET OF THE ATMOSPHERE DRY ADIABATIC.
WAVE SOARING INDEX - AN EMPIRICAL, ADJECTIVE RATING (FOR SAILPLANES) WHICH
ATTEMPTS TO COMBINE A VARIETY OF PHENOMENA IMPORTANT IN MOUNTAIN WAVE
SOARING INTO A SINGLE INDEX NUMBER. OBJECTIVE POINTS ARE ASSIGNED TO
THESE PHENOMENA: WIND SPEED AND DIRECTION AT 14,000 FT MSL, THE STATIC
STABILITY IN THE 12,000-18,000 FT MSL LAYER, THE WIND SPEED GRADIENT ABOVE
THE STABLE LAYER, JET STREAM LOCATION AND FRONTAL AND UPPER TROUGH
MOVEMENTS.
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