Best source for Skew T and Hodographs

[Kem Poyner]

When I want the latest Skew T updates, I can't find a source that is useful for chasing. The available sites are so spread out with some states showing only one. Surely with so many small town launching balloons, there has to be a site that is more complete. What sites do you all use when in the field chasing, or making forecasts?

 

[gdlewen]

You can use this site for real data: https://www.spc.noaa.gov/exper/soundings/
Or this site: COD Meteorology -- Analysis Data

I am not familiar with many small towns launching rawinsondes such as you describe. Field experiments might operate a small, dense network of rawinsonde sites but those would launch for the duration of the experiment and the data not routinely made available to the public.

This site should have the most complete global inventory of rawinsonde data:

Integrated Global Radiosonde Archive (IGRA)

www.ncei.noaa.gov

For a higher density of data than the synoptic network described above, I think people use model soundings.

But seriously--I think I left my comfort zone in this area about 2 exits back. This is the best help I can give.

 

[Dave C]

The actual balloon soundings occur every 12 hours, except special launches as deemed appropriate by NWS offices on days with weather threats. A lot can change over 12 hours, or many miles from where the sounding is taken, so I personally weight them carefully in my decision making depending on the area and how old the sounding is. The links gdlewen shared above are solid choices for finding measurement soundings all in one webpage.

Forecast soundings that include hodographs and skew-t as well as a host of derived parameters can be found on COD or PivolalWeather numerical model / forecast pages, likely the two best providers of easily broswable forecast models, although there are other sources that have some special features they don't. Those soundings can be taken from model data at any point on the map.

In the field, I prefer to use the RAP mesoanalysis page provided by SPC to fine tune positioning. Their page features a hodograph summary map and skew t summary map showing the basic shape of each across a large region, as well as dozens of layers of other useful data for keeping an eye on the evolving weather system, spotting initiation areas, etc. https://www.spc.noaa.gov/exper/mesoanalysis/

 

[JamesCaruso]

I have been studying Cameron Nixon’s hodograph videos. What is a source for *storm relative* hodographs, derived from both observed and modeled soundings?