Once your there!

[Bob Gould]

Once you're there!

Hi all,

I tried searching the forum but did not find what I was looking for so I will post this newbie question.

Once you are in the field at your target area. What types of visual cues are you looking for to get you in the right position to intercept?

I know, I know, look for a Storm but can some of you ol dawgs share a few tips on how you "read the sky"

Thanks in advance
Bob Gould

 

[Chris Nuttall]

There's a whole laundry list, so I'll just give one simple thing, and let others chime in after me. Assuming storms haven't initiated yet, just watch the clouds. If you've gotten to your target area, and it's mid- to late-afternoon and you're see clear, blue, sky...you're probably in trouble, lol.

On a serious note, watch for bands and fields of cumulus development. That's your first hint that there's convection going on and things are getting unstable. Next, watch those clouds for towering cu. Towering cu is a sign of a developing updraft, and it's poking way above any of the rest, chances are the cap has been broken. If that tower and updraft persists, keep an eye on it, and get ready to intercept.

I will say this, in the 8 years I've been chasing, only two or three times have I ever chased a storm from initiation in the cumulus field. Generally, it's something that's already fairly substantial by the time I pick my storm. I like to get in an area and wait for stuff to develop, then pick what I'm going to intercept rather than jump off at the first tower to develop.

 

[Jared Orr]

To add to what chris said, there's really not a ton of ways to determain which individual towers are going to mature into stronger storms before they really get going... cause the first tower to pop isn't always the biggest weather maker. If there's zip, zero, zilch developement to your south, but you see towering cu breaking the cap up north, obviously follow those.
Oh, and if a bunch of towering cu are being sheared apart, but there's one cloud that is rapidly growing and standing strong, keep an eye on that one.

Generally, if you end up looking at a line of (hopefully) discrete cells, pick a spot to the east of where you think they will be approaching maturity and let them come to you one by one. This way you can stick on whichever one you think looks nicest. By nicest I mean well-defined anvil, updraft, mesocyclone, and inflow bands etc...
Of course, having radar or communication with someone with radar doesn't hurt. It can make choosing a particular cell easier. If the line isn't so discrete and looks more like a squall-line, drive down to the southernmost cell. Some people call it "tail-end charlie." That's the one you wanna be on.

I'm sure other people on here have some more "early stage" cues. I'm pretty sure too much altocumulus is a bad thing..as it signifies mid-level moisture, which is not beneficial. Someone correct me if I'm wrong.

 

[Shane Adams]

Here's a similar thread from last year that I think might shed some light for you...

http://www.stormtrack.org/forum/showthread.php?t=14882

 

[Sean McMullen]

To add to what chris said, there's really not a ton of ways to determain which individual towers are going to mature into stronger storms before they really get going... cause the first tower to pop isn't always the biggest weather maker. If there's zip, zero, zilch developement to your south, but you see towering cu breaking the cap up north, obviously follow those.
Oh, and if a bunch of towering cu are being sheared apart, but there's one cloud that is rapidly growing and standing strong, keep an eye on that one.

Generally, if you end up looking at a line of (hopefully) discrete cells, pick a spot to the east of where you think they will be approaching maturity and let them come to you one by one. This way you can stick on whichever one you think looks nicest. By nicest I mean well-defined anvil, updraft, mesocyclone, and inflow bands etc...
Of course, having radar or communication with someone with radar doesn't hurt. It can make choosing a particular cell easier. If the line isn't so discrete and looks more like a squall-line, drive down to the southernmost cell. Some people call it "tail-end charlie." That's the one you wanna be on.

I'm sure other people on here have some more "early stage" cues. I'm pretty sure too much altocumulus is a bad thing..as it signifies mid-level moisture, which is not beneficial. Someone correct me if I'm wrong.

Actually, we like to look for something called ACCUS, which is Altocumulus Castulantus(spelling?) Its a sign of instability in the mid-levels and is a precursor for convection.

Also, besides looking at clouds pay attention to the winds in your target area. If you're winds are out of the ne you might be north of the WF and you might want to get south. If they are straight of out of the south and the models said they should be out of the se the WF might have moved farther north than previously thought. If your winds are out of the sw than your winds are veered and you're going have to look for the se winds if they're around. And when storms fire pay very close attention to your winds as they will let you know about the health of your storm.

 

[Bob Gould]

Thanks for the responses. Your experience is helpful.

If there is an Altocumulus Castellanus cloud band, does it give any signals as to where to position yourself?

 

[Bob Gould]

Here's a similar thread from last year that I think might shed some light for you...

http://www.stormtrack.org/forum/showthread.php?t=14882

Hi Shane

I looked this link over and it had plenty of good information. Thanks for leading me to it.

Do you employ any weather instruments when you are in the field?

 

[Dustin Wilcox]

If there is an Altocumulus Castellanus cloud band, does it give any signals as to where to position yourself?

ACCAS are often the precursor to the development of solid CU and ultimately TCU; thus (other things equal), you would position as if the ACCAS field was going to be the area of initiation, thus I would just position myself downstream of the developing ACCAS/CU field. Though it's really not that easy, often (esp. on a solid day) a good chunk of the warm sector will be covered with ACCAS, it's just one piece of the large puzzle that is pinpointing initiation.

 

[Jared Orr]

I must be rusty cause ACCAS totally slipped my mind.

Here's a picture of the clouds if you haven't seen one...

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikiped...ellanus.jpg/300px-Altocumulus-Castellanus.jpg


As Dustin said, ACCAS gives way to cumulus congestus as initiation time nears~ http://www.free-online-private-pilot-ground-school.com/images/Cu-congestus.jpg


If it's getting late in the day, and the ACCAS still aren't giving way to congestus, you might be looking at a bust.

 

[Greg Blumberg]

I like to pay attention to the satellite as well as the sky and compare the two often.

Often you can detect "roll clouds" I think they're called throughout the target area on both the sky and satellite. I think those were seen before the events of May 23rd, 2008 and May 3rd, 1999. If I am correct (and perhaps others can help clarify) they identify shear in the atmosphere.

 

[Bob Gould]

I like to pay attention to the satellite as well as the sky and compare the two often.

Often you can detect "roll clouds" I think they're called throughout the target area on both the sky and satellite. I think those were seen before the events of May 23rd, 2008 and May 3rd, 1999. If I am correct (and perhaps others can help clarify) they identify shear in the atmosphere.

Greg,

From what I read, it looks like a "roll cloud" is associated with the leading edge of a storm. It is apparently similiar to a shelf cloud on the gust front.

Anyone have insight on the relevance of this formation from a positional point of view?

 

[Simon Andersen]

Bob, you are correct. Roll clouds is associated with the outflow from a storm. Greg, I believe you're thinking of Convective Rolls. Here's a paper about suspected convective rolls on may 3, 1999:

http://www.spc.noaa.gov/publications/edwards/hcr3may.htm

 

[Laura Duchesne]

I think Greg means transverse rolls. On top of ACCAS, I also like to look out for these clouds. They can indicate an environment favorable for supercell development, and since they are aligned with the low level flow, they may point to an area that might get storm initiation later on.

I saw these babies on May 28, 2008 in western TX heading towards eastern NM.

 

[Bob Gould]

Bob, you are correct. Roll clouds is associated with the outflow from a storm. Greg, I believe you're thinking of Convective Rolls. Here's a paper about suspected convective rolls on may 3, 1999:

http://www.spc.noaa.gov/publications/edwards/hcr3may.htm

Simon is this the same storm that hit Moore Ok? I know it started north of Lawton and tracked into the city. If the HCR some that would appear like a roll cloud on the leading edge?

 

[Bob Gould]

I think Greg means transverse rolls. On top of ACCAS, I also like to look out for these clouds. They can indicate an environment favorable for supercell development, and since they are aligned with the low level flow, they may point to an area that might get storm initiation later on.

I saw these babies on May 28, 2008 in western TX heading towards eastern NM.

Hi Laura

When you see these types of clouds does it give you an indication as to where you want to set up? I am trying to figure out how to read the skys prior to initiation.


BTW, I like the tag in your signature