120
UXUS97 KGJT 031306
SRGGJT
SOARING FORECAST
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAND JUNCTION, COLORADO
706 AM MDT MONDAY, AUGUST 3, 2026
THIS FORECAST IS FOR MONDAY, AUGUST 3, 2026:
IF THE TRIGGER TEMPERATURE OF 88.3 F/31.3 C IS REACHED...THEN
THERMAL SOARING INDEX....................... EXCELLENT
MAXIMUM RATE OF LIFT........................ 1752 FT/MIN (8.9 M/S)
MAXIMUM HEIGHT OF THERMALS.................. 23599 FT MSL (17991 FT AGL)
FORECAST MAXIMUM TEMPERATURE................... 102.0 F/39.3 C
TIME OF TRIGGER TEMPERATURE.................... 1030 MDT
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................. 20907 FT MSL (15299 FT AGL)
THERMAL SOARING OUTLOOK FOR TUESDAY 08/04...... EXCELLENT
WAVE SOARING INDEX............................. NOT AVAILABLE
REMARKS...
SUNRISE/SUNSET.................... 06:16:49 / 20:23:50 MDT
TOTAL POSSIBLE SUNSHINE........... 14 HR 7 MIN 1 SEC (847 MIN 1 SEC)
ALTITUDE OF SUN AT 13:20:19 MDT... 67.78 DEGREES
UPPER AIR DATA FROM RAWINSONDE OBSERVATION TAKEN ON 08/03/2026 AT 0600 MDT
FREEZING LEVEL.................. 16769 FT MSL (11161 FT AGL)
CONVECTIVE CONDENSATION LEVEL... 21764 FT MSL (16156 FT AGL)
LIFTED CONDENSATION LEVEL....... 22974 FT MSL (17366 FT AGL)
LIFTED INDEX.................... -0.8
K INDEX......................... +14.5
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 -63.5 -82.3 280 28 15 2.6 1.4 M M M M M
45000 -58.1 -72.6 280 38 20 5.5 3.0 M M M M M
40000 -49.8 -57.6 285 41 21 5.7 3.1 M M M M M
38000 -45.9 -50.6 280 40 21 5.7 3.1 M M M M M
36000 -42.4 -44.3 280 40 21 7.3 4.0 M M M M M
34000 -37.5 -35.5 275 40 21 8.2 4.5 M M M M M
32000 -32.5 -26.5 275 40 21 8.4 4.6 M M M M M
30000 -27.8 -18.0 275 39 20 7.9 4.4 47.3 117.1 6.4 M M
29000 -25.4 -13.7 275 38 20 7.9 4.4 46.6 115.9 6.0 M M
28000 -23.1 -9.6 275 37 19 5.9 3.2 45.9 114.6 5.5 M M
27000 -21.4 -6.5 270 35 18 5.7 3.1 44.2 111.6 4.2 M M
26000 -19.7 -3.5 270 33 17 5.7 3.1 42.7 108.9 3.0 M M
25000 -18.0 -0.4 270 32 16 5.7 3.1 41.3 106.4 2.0 M M
24000 -16.3 2.7 270 30 15 5.7 3.1 39.7 103.5 0.6 M M
23000 -14.6 5.7 270 28 14 5.7 3.1 38.3 100.9 -0.6 1711 8.7
22000 -13.0 8.6 270 26 13 6.2 3.4 36.9 98.5 -1.8 1632 8.3
21000 -10.4 13.3 265 25 13 7.3 4.0 35.7 96.2 -3.0 1517 7.7
20000 -8.3 17.1 260 25 13 7.5 4.1 34.9 94.8 -3.9 1425 7.2
19500 -7.3 18.9 260 25 13 8.2 4.5 34.5 94.1 -4.3 1379 7.0
19000 -5.9 21.4 260 24 12 9.2 5.0 34.4 93.9 -4.4 1324 6.7
18500 -4.6 23.7 265 24 12 9.2 5.1 34.3 93.7 -4.6 1268 6.4
18000 -3.2 26.2 265 23 12 9.2 5.0 34.2 93.6 -4.7 1213 6.2
17500 -1.8 28.8 270 22 12 9.2 5.0 34.1 93.4 -4.8 1157 5.9
17000 -0.5 31.1 270 22 11 9.2 5.1 34.0 93.2 -4.9 1101 5.6
16500 0.9 33.6 275 21 11 9.3 5.1 33.9 93.1 -5.0 1045 5.3
16000 2.3 36.1 275 21 11 9.3 5.1 33.9 93.0 -5.1 989 5.0
15500 3.7 38.7 280 20 10 9.4 5.1 33.8 92.8 -5.2 932 4.7
15000 5.1 41.2 280 19 10 9.4 5.2 33.7 92.7 -5.3 875 4.4
14500 6.5 43.7 280 18 9 9.3 5.1 33.7 92.6 -5.4 817 4.2
14000 7.9 46.2 285 16 8 9.2 5.1 33.6 92.5 -5.5 761 3.9
13500 9.3 48.7 285 14 7 9.1 5.0 33.5 92.3 -5.5 704 3.6
13000 10.7 51.3 285 11 6 9.0 4.9 33.4 92.1 -5.7 649 3.3
12500 12.0 53.6 285 8 4 8.8 4.8 33.3 91.9 -5.8 593 3.0
12000 13.3 55.9 285 6 3 8.5 4.6 33.1 91.5 -6.0 540 2.7
11500 14.6 58.3 290 5 2 8.3 4.6 32.9 91.2 -6.2 487 2.5
11000 15.8 60.4 295 3 2 7.3 4.0 32.6 90.6 -6.6 437 2.2
10500 17.0 62.6 315 2 1 9.3 5.1 32.3 90.2 -6.8 385 2.0
10250 17.7 63.9 320 2 1 8.5 4.7 32.3 90.1 -6.9 357 1.8
10000 18.3 64.9 330 1 1 7.5 4.1 32.1 89.8 -7.0 332 1.7
9750 18.9 66.0 350 1 1 7.8 4.3 31.9 89.5 -7.2 307 1.6
9500 19.4 66.9 015 1 1 7.7 4.2 31.8 89.2 -7.4 282 1.4
9250 20.0 68.0 035 1 1 7.3 4.0 31.6 88.9 -7.5 258 1.3
9000 20.5 68.9 055 1 1 6.9 3.8 31.4 88.5 -7.8 235 1.2
8750 21.1 70.0 070 1 1 7.0 3.9 31.2 88.1 -8.0 212 1.1
8500 21.6 70.9 080 2 1 6.8 3.8 31.0 87.8 -8.2 189 1.0
8250 22.0 71.6 080 2 1 5.3 2.9 30.7 87.3 -8.5 168 0.9
8000 22.3 72.1 085 3 2 4.2 2.3 30.3 86.5 -9.0 151 0.8
7750 22.6 72.7 085 4 2 4.9 2.7 29.9 85.8 -9.4 134 0.7
7500 23.0 73.4 085 4 2 3.4 1.9 29.5 85.1 -9.8 117 0.6
7250 23.1 73.6 085 5 3 1.3 0.7 28.9 84.1 -10.5 107 0.5
7000 23.1 73.6 085 6 3 1.3 0.7 28.3 82.9 -11.2 98 0.5
6750 23.3 73.9 090 6 3 2.9 1.6 27.7 81.8 -11.8 86 0.4
6500 23.4 74.1 090 6 3 -1.4 -0.8 27.1 80.7 -12.4 75 0.4
6250 23.0 73.4 095 6 3 -7.4 -4.1 25.9 78.7 -13.6 79 0.4
6000 22.7 72.9 095 6 3 0.2 0.1 24.8 76.7 -14.7 82 0.4
5750 22.7 72.9 095 6 3 -7.4 -4.1 24.1 75.4 -15.4 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 * * * * * *
08/03/2026 AT 0900 MDT | 08/03/2026 AT 1200 MDT
|
CAPE... 0.0 LI... +1.3 | CAPE... +0.1 LI... +1.2
CINH... -1.3 K INDEX... +19.8 | CINH... -0.3 K INDEX... +18.3
|
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 -63.7 -82.7 265 21 11 2.5 1.4 | -64.4 -83.9 265 25 13 2.8 1.5
45000 -58.3 -72.9 275 30 16 5.7 3.1 | -58.4 -73.1 275 32 17 6.0 3.3
40000 -49.0 -56.2 280 32 17 6.8 3.7 | -48.8 -55.8 275 33 17 6.4 3.5
38000 -44.9 -48.8 280 35 18 6.8 3.7 | -45.0 -49.0 275 36 18 6.4 3.5
36000 -40.9 -41.6 280 38 20 7.4 4.1 | -41.1 -42.0 275 38 20 7.3 4.0
34000 -36.2 -33.2 275 37 19 7.8 4.3 | -36.4 -33.5 275 38 20 7.7 4.2
32000 -31.5 -24.7 270 37 19 7.9 4.3 | -31.8 -25.2 270 38 20 7.8 4.3
30000 -27.5 -17.5 270 34 18 6.6 3.6 | -27.7 -17.9 270 35 18 6.7 3.7
29000 -25.5 -13.9 270 33 17 6.6 3.6 | -25.8 -14.4 270 33 17 6.7 3.7
28000 -23.5 -10.3 270 31 16 6.5 3.6 | -23.8 -10.8 270 31 16 6.7 3.7
27000 -21.6 -6.9 270 29 15 6.5 3.6 | -21.7 -7.1 270 28 15 6.7 3.7
26000 -19.2 -2.6 270 25 13 6.5 3.6 | -19.7 -3.5 265 25 13 6.8 3.7
25000 -17.2 1.0 270 23 12 6.2 3.4 | -17.2 1.0 265 22 11 6.7 3.7
24000 -15.4 4.3 265 22 11 6.2 3.4 | -15.2 4.6 260 22 11 6.8 3.7
23000 -13.6 7.5 255 21 11 6.2 3.4 | -13.3 8.1 260 23 12 6.8 3.7
22000 -11.7 10.9 250 21 11 7.3 4.0 | -11.3 11.7 260 23 12 7.0 3.9
21000 -9.6 14.7 245 21 11 7.5 4.1 | -9.2 15.4 255 23 12 7.0 3.9
20000 -7.4 18.7 235 22 11 7.6 4.2 | -7.1 19.2 250 23 12 7.1 3.9
19500 -6.3 20.7 235 23 12 7.8 4.3 | -6.0 21.2 250 23 12 7.3 4.0
19000 -5.1 22.8 235 23 12 8.2 4.5 | -4.9 23.2 250 22 11 7.7 4.2
18500 -3.9 25.0 235 23 12 8.2 4.5 | -3.8 25.2 250 21 11 7.7 4.2
18000 -2.7 27.1 235 23 12 8.9 4.9 | -2.7 27.1 250 20 10 8.3 4.6
17500 -1.4 29.5 240 22 11 9.0 4.9 | -1.5 29.3 250 20 10 8.4 4.6
17000 -0.0 32.0 240 22 11 9.1 5.0 | -0.3 31.5 250 19 10 8.7 4.8
16500 1.3 34.3 245 21 11 9.3 5.1 | 1.1 34.0 250 18 9 9.3 5.1
16000 2.7 36.9 245 20 10 9.3 5.1 | 2.5 36.5 250 18 9 9.3 5.1
15500 4.1 39.4 245 20 10 9.2 5.1 | 3.9 39.0 250 17 9 9.4 5.1
15000 5.5 41.9 250 19 10 9.2 5.1 | 5.3 41.5 250 16 8 9.4 5.1
14500 6.8 44.2 250 18 9 9.2 5.1 | 6.7 44.1 250 16 8 9.4 5.1
14000 8.2 46.8 250 17 9 9.2 5.0 | 8.1 46.6 250 15 8 9.4 5.1
13500 9.6 49.3 250 17 9 9.2 5.0 | 9.5 49.1 255 15 8 9.4 5.1
13000 11.0 51.8 255 16 8 9.2 5.0 | 10.8 51.4 255 15 8 9.3 5.1
12500 12.4 54.3 255 16 8 9.1 5.0 | 12.2 54.0 255 14 7 9.3 5.1
12000 13.7 56.7 260 16 8 8.8 4.9 | 13.6 56.5 255 14 7 9.2 5.0
11500 15.0 59.0 260 16 8 8.9 4.9 | 15.0 59.0 255 13 7 9.2 5.0
11000 16.2 61.2 260 16 8 7.2 3.9 | 16.2 61.2 260 13 7 7.8 4.3
10500 17.3 63.1 260 16 8 9.9 5.5 | 17.4 63.3 260 13 7 11.9 6.5
10250 18.1 64.6 260 15 8 10.2 5.6 | 18.5 65.3 260 13 6 13.0 7.1
10000 18.7 65.7 260 15 8 6.8 3.7 | 19.2 66.6 260 12 6 8.4 4.6
9750 19.3 66.7 260 15 8 7.7 4.2 | 19.9 67.8 260 12 6 9.8 5.4
9500 19.8 67.6 260 14 7 7.5 4.1 | 20.6 69.1 260 12 6 8.9 4.9
9250 20.3 68.5 260 14 7 5.7 3.1 | 21.2 70.2 265 12 6 7.7 4.2
9000 21.2 70.2 260 13 7 7.3 4.0 | 22.5 72.5 260 11 6 9.9 5.4
8750 21.7 71.1 255 12 6 7.0 3.8 | 23.2 73.8 260 11 6 9.7 5.3
8500 22.2 72.0 255 11 6 4.7 2.6 | 23.9 75.0 260 11 6 7.1 3.9
8250 22.5 72.5 255 12 6 4.9 2.7 | 24.3 75.7 265 10 5 7.9 4.3
8000 23.0 73.4 250 10 5 7.2 4.0 | 25.1 77.2 265 9 5 10.7 5.9
7750 23.5 74.3 245 8 4 6.2 3.4 | 25.8 78.4 260 9 5 9.7 5.3
7500 23.9 75.0 240 7 4 3.9 2.2 | 26.5 79.7 265 9 5 8.0 4.4
7250 24.1 75.4 240 7 3 4.0 2.2 | 27.1 80.8 270 9 4 8.5 4.7
7000 24.6 76.3 235 6 3 8.1 4.5 | 27.8 82.0 270 8 4 11.9 6.5
6750 25.2 77.4 225 5 3 8.3 4.5 | 28.8 83.8 265 8 4 11.9 6.5
6500 25.7 78.3 215 4 2 6.3 3.5 | 29.6 85.3 265 8 4 10.2 5.6
6250 26.2 79.2 200 3 2 6.1 3.3 | 30.3 86.5 270 8 4 10.5 5.7
6000 26.7 80.1 180 3 1 8.3 4.6 | 31.1 88.0 275 7 4 8.4 4.6
5750 27.5 81.5 185 3 2 14.7 8.1 | 31.8 89.2 265 7 4 14.9 8.2
5500 28.8 83.8 150 2 1 19.3 10.6 | 34.8 94.6 280 7 3 81.9 44.9
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
08/03/2026 AT 1500 MDT | 08/03/2026 AT 1800 MDT
|
CAPE... +1.5 LI... +0.1 | CAPE... +0.3 LI... -0.0
CINH... -0.2 K INDEX... +15.5 | CINH... -0.6 K INDEX... +17.3
|
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 -64.4 -83.9 270 29 15 2.4 1.3 | -64.0 -83.2 275 29 15 2.6 1.4
45000 -58.8 -73.8 275 36 18 6.2 3.4 | -58.4 -73.1 280 35 18 5.7 3.2
40000 -49.0 -56.2 275 37 19 6.4 3.5 | -49.2 -56.6 280 39 20 6.4 3.5
38000 -45.1 -49.2 275 38 20 6.4 3.5 | -45.3 -49.5 280 39 20 6.4 3.5
36000 -41.3 -42.3 275 39 20 7.1 3.9 | -41.5 -42.7 280 39 20 7.1 3.9
34000 -36.8 -34.2 275 38 20 7.4 4.1 | -37.0 -34.6 275 39 20 7.5 4.1
32000 -32.4 -26.3 275 38 19 7.6 4.2 | -32.5 -26.5 275 38 20 7.7 4.2
30000 -28.1 -18.6 275 32 17 7.0 3.9 | -28.1 -18.6 275 32 16 7.4 4.0
29000 -26.0 -14.8 275 29 15 7.0 3.9 | -25.9 -14.6 270 29 15 7.4 4.1
28000 -23.9 -11.0 275 26 14 7.2 3.9 | -23.7 -10.7 270 26 13 6.6 3.6
27000 -21.7 -7.1 275 25 13 7.2 3.9 | -21.7 -7.1 270 24 13 6.6 3.6
26000 -19.6 -3.3 270 24 12 7.2 3.9 | -19.8 -3.6 265 23 12 6.6 3.6
25000 -17.0 1.4 265 22 11 6.4 3.5 | -17.3 0.9 265 21 11 6.8 3.8
24000 -15.1 4.8 260 21 11 6.3 3.5 | -15.3 4.5 265 19 10 6.9 3.8
23000 -13.3 8.1 260 20 10 6.4 3.5 | -13.2 8.2 270 17 9 7.0 3.8
22000 -11.4 11.5 260 19 10 7.4 4.1 | -11.2 11.8 275 16 8 7.6 4.2
21000 -9.2 15.4 260 18 9 7.5 4.1 | -8.9 16.0 280 15 8 7.7 4.2
20000 -7.0 19.4 260 17 9 7.5 4.1 | -6.7 19.9 285 14 7 7.8 4.3
19500 -5.9 21.4 260 17 9 8.1 4.4 | -5.6 21.9 290 13 7 8.4 4.6
19000 -4.6 23.7 260 16 8 8.9 4.9 | -4.3 24.3 285 13 7 9.1 5.0
18500 -3.3 26.1 260 16 8 8.8 4.9 | -2.9 26.8 285 13 7 9.1 5.0
18000 -2.0 28.4 260 16 8 9.3 5.1 | -1.6 29.1 285 13 7 9.3 5.1
17500 -0.6 30.9 260 16 8 9.3 5.1 | -0.2 31.6 285 12 6 9.3 5.1
17000 0.8 33.4 255 16 8 9.3 5.1 | 1.2 34.2 285 12 6 9.4 5.1
16500 2.2 36.0 255 15 8 9.3 5.1 | 2.6 36.7 285 12 6 9.4 5.2
16000 3.6 38.5 260 15 8 9.3 5.1 | 4.0 39.2 285 12 6 9.4 5.2
15500 5.0 41.0 260 15 8 9.5 5.2 | 5.4 41.7 285 12 6 9.4 5.1
15000 6.4 43.5 260 15 8 9.5 5.2 | 6.8 44.2 285 12 6 9.4 5.1
14500 7.8 46.0 260 15 8 9.4 5.1 | 8.2 46.8 285 11 6 9.5 5.2
14000 9.2 48.6 260 15 8 9.3 5.1 | 9.7 49.5 285 11 6 9.5 5.2
13500 10.6 51.1 260 15 8 9.4 5.1 | 11.1 52.0 285 11 6 9.5 5.2
13000 12.0 53.6 265 15 8 9.4 5.1 | 12.5 54.5 285 11 6 9.5 5.2
12500 13.4 56.1 265 15 7 9.4 5.2 | 13.9 57.0 280 11 6 9.5 5.2
12000 14.8 58.6 265 14 7 9.4 5.2 | 15.3 59.5 280 11 6 9.5 5.2
11500 16.2 61.2 265 14 7 9.4 5.2 | 16.7 62.1 280 11 6 9.6 5.3
11000 17.4 63.3 265 14 7 8.0 4.4 | 18.0 64.4 280 11 6 8.1 4.4
10500 18.6 65.5 270 14 7 12.2 6.7 | 19.2 66.6 280 11 6 12.0 6.6
10250 19.7 67.5 270 14 7 13.4 7.3 | 20.3 68.5 280 11 6 13.0 7.1
10000 20.4 68.7 270 14 7 8.5 4.7 | 21.0 69.8 275 11 6 8.5 4.7
9750 21.1 70.0 270 14 7 10.0 5.5 | 21.7 71.1 275 11 6 9.6 5.3
9500 21.8 71.2 270 14 7 8.8 4.8 | 22.4 72.3 275 11 6 9.7 5.3
9250 22.5 72.5 270 14 7 8.5 4.6 | 23.2 73.8 275 11 6 8.4 4.6
9000 23.2 73.8 270 14 7 10.1 5.6 | 23.7 74.7 275 11 6 8.7 4.8
8750 24.7 76.5 270 14 7 10.7 5.8 | 25.2 77.4 275 11 6 10.0 5.5
8500 25.5 77.9 270 14 7 9.1 5.0 | 26.0 78.8 270 11 6 9.0 5.0
8250 26.2 79.2 270 14 7 9.5 5.2 | 26.6 79.9 270 11 6 9.4 5.1
8000 27.0 80.6 270 14 7 11.2 6.1 | 27.4 81.3 270 11 6 10.6 5.8
7750 27.8 82.0 270 14 7 10.6 5.8 | 28.2 82.8 270 11 6 10.4 5.7
7500 28.5 83.3 270 14 7 8.5 4.7 | 28.9 84.0 270 11 6 8.6 4.7
7250 29.1 84.4 270 14 7 8.6 4.7 | 29.5 85.1 270 11 6 8.3 4.6
7000 29.9 85.8 270 14 7 11.5 6.3 | 30.2 86.4 270 11 6 10.5 5.8
6750 30.8 87.4 270 13 7 11.7 6.4 | 31.0 87.8 270 11 6 10.8 5.9
6500 31.6 88.9 270 13 7 10.8 5.9 | 31.8 89.2 270 11 6 10.6 5.8
6250 32.4 90.3 270 13 7 11.2 6.1 | 32.6 90.7 265 11 6 11.0 6.0
6000 33.2 91.8 270 13 7 8.0 4.4 | 33.4 92.1 265 11 5 8.2 4.5
5750 33.8 92.8 270 12 6 14.1 7.8 | 34.0 93.2 265 10 5 10.3 5.6
5500 37.1 98.8 275 11 6 92.8 50.9 | 36.0 96.8 265 9 5 57.4 31.5
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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