124
UXUS97 KGJT 221306
SRGGJT
SOARING FORECAST
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAND JUNCTION, COLORADO
606 AM MST THURSDAY, JANUARY 22, 2026
THIS FORECAST IS FOR THURSDAY, JANUARY 22, 2026:
IF THE TRIGGER TEMPERATURE OF 50.1 F/10.0 C IS REACHED...THEN
THERMAL SOARING INDEX....................... FAIR
MAXIMUM RATE OF LIFT........................ 240 FT/MIN (1.2 M/S)
MAXIMUM HEIGHT OF THERMALS.................. 8921 FT MSL (3312 FT AGL)
FORECAST MAXIMUM TEMPERATURE................... 48.0 F/9.3 C
TIME OF TRIGGER TEMPERATURE.................... NONE
TIME OF OVERDEVELOPMENT........................ 1700 MST
MIDDLE/HIGH CLOUDS DURING SOARING WINDOW....... NONE
SURFACE WINDS DURING SOARING WINDOW............ 20 MPH OR LESS
HEIGHT OF THE -3 THERMAL INDEX................. 7004 FT MSL (1395 FT AGL)
THERMAL SOARING OUTLOOK FOR FRIDAY 01/23....... POOR
WAVE SOARING INDEX............................. NOT AVAILABLE
REMARKS...
SUNRISE/SUNSET.................... 07:28:08 / 17:23:26 MST
TOTAL POSSIBLE SUNSHINE........... 9 HR 55 MIN 18 SEC (595 MIN 18 SEC)
ALTITUDE OF SUN AT 12:25:47 MST... 31.03 DEGREES
UPPER AIR DATA FROM RAWINSONDE OBSERVATION TAKEN ON 01/22/2026 AT 0500 MST
FREEZING LEVEL.................. 8069 FT MSL (2460 FT AGL)
CONVECTIVE CONDENSATION LEVEL... 18751 FT MSL (13142 FT AGL)
LIFTED CONDENSATION LEVEL....... 14961 FT MSL (9352 FT AGL)
LIFTED INDEX.................... +8.5
K INDEX......................... +11.0
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 -59.2 -74.6 295 46 24 3.0 1.7 M M M M M
45000 -54.5 -66.1 285 56 29 3.1 1.7 M M M M M
40000 -49.6 -57.3 275 64 33 3.3 1.8 M M M M M
38000 -48.9 -56.0 265 68 35 -2.9 -1.6 M M M M M
36000 -50.7 -59.3 260 74 38 -2.9 -1.6 M M M M M
34000 -52.4 -62.3 255 82 42 -1.8 -1.0 M M M M M
32000 -50.4 -58.7 255 70 36 3.3 1.8 M M M M M
30000 -48.2 -54.8 260 59 30 8.1 4.5 26.4 79.4 13.1 M M
29000 -45.7 -50.3 260 56 29 8.3 4.5 25.6 78.1 12.7 M M
28000 -43.2 -45.8 260 54 28 8.3 4.5 25.0 77.1 12.4 M M
27000 -40.8 -41.4 260 51 26 8.2 4.5 24.6 76.3 12.2 M M
26000 -38.3 -36.9 260 50 25 8.5 4.7 24.0 75.2 11.9 M M
25000 -35.7 -32.3 265 48 25 8.5 4.7 23.5 74.3 11.7 M M
24000 -33.2 -27.8 265 47 24 8.5 4.7 23.1 73.6 11.5 M M
23000 -30.7 -23.3 265 46 24 8.2 4.5 22.6 72.6 11.1 M M
22000 -28.3 -18.9 265 45 23 8.2 4.5 22.0 71.5 10.7 M M
21000 -25.9 -14.6 265 44 23 8.2 4.5 21.5 70.7 10.4 M M
20000 -23.7 -10.7 265 42 21 7.4 4.1 20.7 69.2 9.8 M M
19500 -22.6 -8.7 265 40 21 7.4 4.1 20.2 68.4 9.5 M M
19000 -21.5 -6.7 265 39 20 7.4 4.1 19.8 67.7 9.2 M M
18500 -19.8 -3.6 265 37 19 7.0 3.9 19.3 66.7 8.8 M M
18000 -18.9 -2.0 265 36 19 6.6 3.6 18.7 65.7 8.4 M M
17500 -17.9 -0.2 265 35 18 6.7 3.7 18.2 64.8 7.9 M M
17000 -17.0 1.4 265 34 17 5.7 3.1 17.6 63.7 7.4 M M
16500 -16.1 3.0 265 32 17 5.8 3.2 16.9 62.5 6.8 M M
16000 -15.3 4.5 270 31 16 5.6 3.1 16.3 61.3 6.3 M M
15500 -14.5 5.9 270 31 16 5.6 3.1 15.5 60.0 5.7 M M
15000 -13.7 7.3 270 30 15 6.1 3.4 14.9 58.7 5.0 M M
14500 -12.6 9.3 270 30 15 6.8 3.7 14.4 57.8 4.6 M M
14000 -11.6 11.1 270 29 15 7.3 4.0 13.9 57.0 4.2 M M
13500 -10.4 13.3 265 29 15 8.8 4.8 13.6 56.5 4.0 M M
13000 -9.0 15.8 265 28 15 8.7 4.8 13.5 56.2 3.9 M M
12500 -7.7 18.1 265 28 14 8.4 4.6 13.3 55.9 3.8 M M
12000 -6.5 20.3 260 26 14 8.3 4.6 13.1 55.5 3.6 M M
11500 -5.4 22.3 255 25 13 6.5 3.6 12.7 54.8 3.3 M M
11000 -4.3 24.3 255 23 12 6.5 3.6 12.2 53.9 2.9 M M
10500 -3.5 25.7 250 21 11 4.7 2.6 11.5 52.7 2.3 M M
10250 -3.1 26.4 245 20 10 6.3 3.4 11.2 52.1 1.9 M M
10000 -2.6 27.3 245 19 10 6.6 3.6 10.9 51.7 1.7 M M
9750 -2.2 28.0 240 17 9 4.6 2.5 10.6 51.1 1.4 M M
9500 -1.9 28.6 235 16 8 3.9 2.1 10.2 50.3 1.0 M M
9250 -1.6 29.1 235 15 8 4.6 2.5 9.7 49.5 0.6 M M
9000 -1.2 29.8 230 13 7 4.9 2.7 9.3 48.8 0.2 M M
8750 -0.9 30.4 225 12 6 4.2 2.3 8.9 48.1 -0.2 231 1.2
8500 -0.6 30.9 220 11 6 4.3 2.4 8.5 47.3 -0.6 215 1.1
8250 -0.3 31.5 210 10 5 3.7 2.1 8.1 46.5 -1.0 198 1.0
8000 0.0 32.0 205 9 5 4.2 2.3 7.6 45.7 -1.5 183 0.9
7750 0.4 32.7 200 8 4 5.3 2.9 7.2 45.0 -1.9 164 0.8
7500 0.7 33.3 195 8 4 4.8 2.6 6.9 44.4 -2.2 146 0.7
7250 1.1 34.0 190 8 4 5.8 3.2 6.5 43.7 -2.6 127 0.6
7000 1.6 34.9 185 8 4 5.5 3.0 6.3 43.3 -2.9 106 0.5
6750 1.9 35.4 180 7 4 4.5 2.5 5.9 42.6 -3.3 88 0.4
6500 2.3 36.1 180 7 4 4.3 2.4 5.5 41.9 -3.7 71 0.4
6250 2.5 36.5 175 6 3 1.8 1.0 5.0 41.0 -4.2 56 0.3
6000 2.4 36.3 170 5 3 -6.8 -3.7 4.1 39.4 -5.0 53 0.3
5750 1.4 34.5 160 4 2 -17.2 -9.4 2.4 36.4 -6.7 74 0.4
5500 M M M M M M M M M M M M
5250 M M M M M M M M M M M M
5000 M M M M M M M M M M M M
* * * * * * NUMERICAL WEATHER PREDICTION MODEL FORECAST DATA VALID * * * * * *
01/22/2026 AT 0800 MST | 01/22/2026 AT 1100 MST
|
CAPE... 0.0 LI... +6.4 | CAPE... 0.0 LI... +6.4
CINH... -0.1 K INDEX... -8.4 | CINH... -0.2 K INDEX... -8.5
|
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 -60.0 -76.0 295 64 33 2.2 1.2 | -60.3 -76.5 295 62 32 2.4 1.3
45000 -56.7 -70.1 290 72 37 2.3 1.2 | -56.7 -70.1 285 70 36 2.3 1.3
40000 -56.9 -70.4 285 71 37 -0.3 -0.1 | -55.6 -68.1 280 65 34 0.7 0.4
38000 -56.8 -70.2 285 70 36 1.1 0.6 | -55.5 -67.9 280 64 33 -0.6 -0.3
36000 -56.0 -68.8 285 69 35 1.1 0.6 | -55.8 -68.4 275 63 32 -0.6 -0.3
34000 -54.8 -66.6 285 67 35 8.5 4.7 | -55.6 -68.1 275 62 32 9.0 4.9
32000 -50.2 -58.4 285 66 34 7.7 4.2 | -50.8 -59.4 275 61 31 8.0 4.4
30000 -45.6 -50.1 290 65 33 7.7 4.2 | -45.9 -50.6 280 59 31 8.2 4.5
29000 -43.3 -45.9 290 61 32 7.7 4.2 | -43.5 -46.3 280 58 30 8.2 4.5
28000 -41.0 -41.8 290 58 30 7.7 4.2 | -41.0 -41.8 280 56 29 8.2 4.5
27000 -38.7 -37.7 290 55 28 7.6 4.2 | -38.5 -37.3 280 54 28 8.1 4.5
26000 -36.6 -33.9 290 52 27 7.1 3.9 | -36.4 -33.5 280 51 26 6.9 3.8
25000 -34.4 -29.9 290 50 26 7.1 3.9 | -34.3 -29.7 285 48 25 6.9 3.8
24000 -32.3 -26.1 295 47 24 7.1 3.9 | -32.3 -26.1 285 45 23 6.9 3.8
23000 -29.6 -21.3 295 45 23 7.4 4.1 | -29.6 -21.3 290 43 22 7.2 4.0
22000 -27.3 -17.1 295 43 22 7.4 4.1 | -27.4 -17.3 290 41 21 7.2 4.0
21000 -25.1 -13.2 295 42 22 7.6 4.2 | -25.2 -13.4 295 39 20 7.7 4.2
20000 -22.9 -9.2 295 40 21 7.6 4.2 | -23.0 -9.4 295 38 19 7.7 4.2
19500 -21.7 -7.1 295 39 20 7.6 4.2 | -21.8 -7.2 295 37 19 7.7 4.2
19000 -20.6 -5.1 295 38 20 7.6 4.2 | -20.7 -5.3 295 36 19 7.7 4.2
18500 -19.5 -3.1 295 37 19 7.8 4.3 | -19.5 -3.1 300 36 18 7.9 4.3
18000 -18.3 -0.9 295 36 19 7.9 4.3 | -18.3 -0.9 300 35 18 7.9 4.3
17500 -17.1 1.2 295 35 18 7.9 4.3 | -17.1 1.2 300 34 18 7.9 4.3
17000 -15.9 3.4 295 35 18 7.8 4.3 | -16.0 3.2 300 33 17 7.6 4.2
16500 -14.8 5.4 295 34 17 7.8 4.3 | -14.8 5.4 300 32 17 7.7 4.2
16000 -13.6 7.5 295 33 17 7.6 4.2 | -13.7 7.3 295 31 16 7.4 4.1
15500 -12.5 9.5 295 32 16 7.6 4.2 | -12.6 9.3 295 31 16 7.5 4.1
15000 -11.4 11.5 295 31 16 7.2 4.0 | -11.5 11.3 295 30 15 7.0 3.9
14500 -10.3 13.5 295 30 15 7.0 3.9 | -10.5 13.1 295 29 15 6.9 3.8
14000 -9.2 15.4 295 29 15 6.7 3.7 | -9.4 15.1 295 28 14 6.6 3.6
13500 -8.3 17.1 295 28 14 6.3 3.5 | -8.5 16.7 295 26 14 6.3 3.4
13000 -7.3 18.9 295 26 14 6.0 3.3 | -7.5 18.5 295 25 13 6.0 3.3
12500 -6.5 20.3 290 25 13 5.5 3.0 | -6.7 19.9 295 23 12 5.5 3.0
12000 -5.7 21.7 290 23 12 5.2 2.9 | -5.9 21.4 295 21 11 5.3 2.9
11500 -5.0 23.0 290 20 11 4.5 2.4 | -5.1 22.8 290 19 10 4.9 2.7
11000 -4.3 24.3 285 18 9 4.2 2.3 | -4.4 24.1 290 16 8 4.6 2.5
10500 -3.8 25.2 280 16 8 3.4 1.9 | -3.8 25.2 280 13 7 4.0 2.2
10250 -3.5 25.7 280 14 7 3.8 2.1 | -3.5 25.7 280 12 6 4.3 2.4
10000 -3.3 26.1 275 13 7 2.6 1.4 | -3.2 26.2 275 11 6 3.2 1.7
9750 -3.1 26.4 275 13 6 2.9 1.6 | -3.0 26.6 275 10 5 3.3 1.8
9500 -2.8 27.0 270 11 6 4.2 2.3 | -2.7 27.1 265 9 5 4.6 2.5
9250 -2.6 27.3 265 10 5 3.9 2.1 | -2.4 27.7 260 8 4 4.3 2.3
9000 -2.3 27.9 260 10 5 3.8 2.1 | -2.0 28.4 255 8 4 4.4 2.4
8750 -2.0 28.4 255 10 5 3.8 2.1 | -1.7 28.9 255 7 4 4.2 2.3
8500 -1.7 28.9 250 8 4 4.0 2.2 | -1.4 29.5 245 6 3 4.3 2.4
8250 -1.4 29.5 240 7 4 3.7 2.0 | -1.1 30.0 240 6 3 4.0 2.2
8000 -1.0 30.2 225 5 3 3.5 1.9 | -0.8 30.6 230 5 3 3.3 1.8
7750 -0.7 30.7 215 5 2 4.7 2.6 | -0.3 31.5 215 4 2 4.2 2.3
7500 -0.3 31.5 200 4 2 4.1 2.2 | 0.0 32.0 200 3 2 3.8 2.1
7250 -0.1 31.8 190 4 2 3.5 1.9 | 0.3 32.5 195 3 2 2.2 1.2
7000 0.2 32.4 180 4 2 4.8 2.6 | 0.5 32.9 185 3 2 6.6 3.6
6750 0.6 33.1 175 4 2 4.4 2.4 | 1.2 34.2 180 3 1 9.1 5.0
6500 0.8 33.4 165 3 2 1.6 0.9 | 1.7 35.1 175 2 1 6.4 3.5
6250 0.9 33.6 155 3 2 1.8 1.0 | 2.2 36.0 170 2 1 5.4 2.9
6000 1.0 33.8 140 3 2 0.1 0.1 | 2.7 36.9 165 1 1 9.2 5.1
5750 0.6 33.1 120 2 1 -15.7 -8.6 | 3.7 38.7 165 1 1 19.0 10.4
5500 -2.1 28.2 090 3 1 -65.0 -35.7 | 4.8 40.6 160 1 1 2.9 1.6
5250 M M M M M M M | M M M M M M M
5000 M M M M M M M | M M M M M M M
01/22/2026 AT 1400 MST | 01/22/2026 AT 1700 MST
|
CAPE... 0.0 LI... +5.8 | CAPE... 0.0 LI... +5.4
CINH... -0.0 K INDEX... -8.7 | CINH... 0.0 K INDEX... -9.8
|
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 -59.9 -75.8 295 60 31 2.2 1.2 | -59.7 -75.5 300 58 30 2.6 1.4
45000 -56.6 -69.9 290 70 36 2.2 1.2 | -55.8 -68.4 290 65 34 2.6 1.4
40000 -54.8 -66.6 280 69 35 1.1 0.6 | -53.9 -65.0 280 69 35 1.2 0.7
38000 -54.7 -66.5 275 67 35 -1.2 -0.7 | -53.8 -64.8 280 68 35 -1.7 -0.9
36000 -55.5 -67.9 270 64 33 -1.2 -0.7 | -54.9 -66.8 275 65 33 -1.7 -0.9
34000 -55.7 -68.3 270 61 31 7.6 4.1 | -55.5 -67.9 270 62 32 5.7 3.1
32000 -51.1 -60.0 270 59 31 7.7 4.2 | -51.4 -60.5 275 59 30 6.8 3.7
30000 -46.4 -51.5 275 58 30 8.7 4.8 | -47.2 -53.0 275 56 29 9.0 4.9
29000 -43.8 -46.8 275 57 29 8.6 4.7 | -44.6 -48.3 275 56 29 8.7 4.8
28000 -41.3 -42.3 280 56 29 8.6 4.7 | -42.0 -43.6 280 55 28 8.7 4.8
27000 -38.7 -37.7 280 56 29 8.6 4.7 | -39.4 -38.9 280 54 28 8.8 4.8
26000 -36.5 -33.7 280 53 27 7.1 3.9 | -37.0 -34.6 280 53 27 7.9 4.3
25000 -34.4 -29.9 280 49 25 7.1 3.9 | -34.6 -30.3 280 50 26 7.9 4.3
24000 -32.3 -26.1 285 46 24 7.1 3.9 | -31.7 -25.1 280 48 25 7.5 4.1
23000 -29.7 -21.5 285 42 22 6.7 3.7 | -29.7 -21.5 280 44 23 6.3 3.5
22000 -27.7 -17.9 285 38 20 6.7 3.7 | -27.8 -18.0 280 40 21 6.3 3.5
21000 -25.7 -14.3 290 35 18 7.7 4.2 | -25.9 -14.6 280 37 19 7.7 4.2
20000 -23.3 -9.9 290 34 18 8.0 4.4 | -23.5 -10.3 285 35 18 8.1 4.4
19500 -22.1 -7.8 290 33 17 8.0 4.4 | -22.3 -8.1 285 34 18 8.1 4.4
19000 -20.9 -5.6 295 33 17 8.0 4.4 | -21.0 -5.8 285 33 17 8.1 4.4
18500 -19.7 -3.5 295 32 17 8.0 4.4 | -19.8 -3.6 285 32 17 8.3 4.5
18000 -18.5 -1.3 295 32 16 8.1 4.4 | -18.6 -1.5 285 32 16 8.4 4.6
17500 -17.3 0.9 295 31 16 8.0 4.4 | -17.3 0.9 285 31 16 8.4 4.6
17000 -16.1 3.0 295 31 16 7.8 4.3 | -16.1 3.0 285 31 16 8.0 4.4
16500 -15.0 5.0 295 30 15 7.9 4.3 | -14.9 5.2 290 30 15 8.1 4.4
16000 -13.8 7.2 295 29 15 7.5 4.1 | -13.7 7.3 290 29 15 7.7 4.2
15500 -12.7 9.1 295 29 15 7.5 4.1 | -12.5 9.5 290 29 15 7.7 4.2
15000 -11.6 11.1 295 28 14 7.3 4.0 | -11.4 11.5 290 28 14 7.5 4.1
14500 -10.5 13.1 295 27 14 7.1 3.9 | -10.3 13.5 290 27 14 7.4 4.0
14000 -9.4 15.1 290 26 13 6.9 3.8 | -9.2 15.4 290 26 13 7.1 3.9
13500 -8.4 16.9 290 25 13 6.6 3.6 | -8.2 17.2 290 25 13 6.6 3.6
13000 -7.4 18.7 290 24 12 6.5 3.5 | -7.2 19.0 290 24 12 6.5 3.6
12500 -6.5 20.3 290 22 11 5.8 3.2 | -6.2 20.8 285 22 11 6.1 3.4
12000 -5.6 21.9 290 21 11 5.7 3.2 | -5.3 22.5 285 20 11 6.0 3.3
11500 -4.9 23.2 285 19 10 5.0 2.8 | -4.5 23.9 280 18 9 4.9 2.7
11000 -4.1 24.6 280 16 8 4.9 2.7 | -3.8 25.2 275 16 8 4.9 2.7
10500 -3.4 25.9 280 14 7 4.3 2.4 | -3.1 26.4 270 14 7 4.3 2.4
10250 -3.1 26.4 275 13 7 4.0 2.2 | -2.8 27.0 270 13 7 3.4 1.9
10000 -2.8 27.0 270 13 6 5.3 2.9 | -2.5 27.5 265 12 6 6.9 3.8
9750 -2.4 27.7 265 11 6 5.8 3.2 | -1.9 28.6 260 11 6 7.9 4.3
9500 -2.0 28.4 260 10 5 4.9 2.7 | -1.4 29.5 255 10 5 5.0 2.7
9250 -1.6 29.1 260 9 5 5.0 2.7 | -1.0 30.2 250 9 5 6.0 3.3
9000 -1.3 29.7 255 8 4 5.6 3.1 | -0.6 30.9 245 9 4 4.9 2.7
8750 -0.8 30.6 250 9 4 5.5 3.0 | -0.3 31.5 245 9 5 4.8 2.7
8500 -0.5 31.1 250 8 4 4.7 2.6 | 0.1 32.2 245 8 4 5.6 3.1
8250 -0.1 31.8 245 7 3 4.8 2.6 | 0.9 33.6 235 6 3 5.0 2.8
8000 0.5 32.9 240 6 3 5.2 2.9 | 1.2 34.2 235 6 3 4.7 2.6
7750 1.0 33.8 240 5 2 7.7 4.2 | 1.6 34.9 235 5 3 4.7 2.6
7500 1.5 34.7 240 4 2 5.7 3.1 | 1.9 35.4 235 4 2 4.6 2.5
7250 1.8 35.2 250 3 2 2.2 1.2 | 2.2 36.0 235 3 2 3.9 2.2
7000 2.1 35.8 260 2 1 8.0 4.4 | 2.6 36.7 245 3 1 5.6 3.1
6750 2.9 37.2 260 2 1 12.6 6.9 | 3.1 37.6 255 2 1 7.3 4.0
6500 3.7 38.7 265 2 1 9.1 5.0 | 3.6 38.5 270 2 1 7.5 4.1
6250 4.4 39.9 275 2 1 8.2 4.5 | 4.2 39.6 285 2 1 7.8 4.3
6000 5.0 41.0 285 2 1 9.4 5.1 | 4.8 40.6 300 2 1 8.4 4.6
5750 5.9 42.6 270 2 1 14.2 7.8 | 5.3 41.5 295 2 1 3.6 2.0
5500 7.2 45.0 290 2 1 23.8 13.0 | 4.5 40.1 315 2 1 -33.6 -18.4
5250 M M M M M M M | M M M M M M M
5000 M M M M M M M | M M M M M M M
________________________________________________________________________________
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 AT WALKER FIELD IN GRAND
JUNCTION, COLORADO AT
NORTH LATITUDE: 39 DEG 07 MIN 00.001 SEC
WEST LONGITUDE: 108 DEG 31 MIN 59.998 SEC
ELEVATION: 4839 FEET (1475 METERS)
AND MAY NOT BE REPRESENTATIVE OF OTHER AREAS ALONG THE WESTERN SLOPE OF
COLORADO. 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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