Soundings

[chrisbray]

Sorry for the silly question, but after looking at the stickies, and browsing through topics, I still can't seem to figure out where online i would be able to look at the latest sounding from my area. I get how to read the skew -T and all that....but I just can't seem to locate them online anywhere, either through links I've found here, or when i scour the spc or NOAA sites. Do I have to purchase/download a program on my computer to be able to access soundings? Thanks for the help,

Chris

 

[Jesse Risley]

No, they are available for free on the SPC site: http://www.spc.noaa.gov/exper/soundings/

From there, you just click on the time (soundings are listed in zulu time, so subtract 5 hours) and, when viewing the legend for the time available, select the icon for the station that you wish to view.

 

[chrisbray]

No, they are available for free on the SPC site: http://www.spc.noaa.gov/exper/soundings/

From there, you just click on the time (soundings are listed in zulu time, so subtract 5 hours) and, when viewing the legend for the time available, select the icon for the station that you wish to view.

Wow, thanks so much! I feel dumb. I've been looking at the SPC for years, and over the past year+ started using the mesoanlysis, but I completely overlooked this. Now I can get cracking and determine the (notsogreat) chances for severe storms in Illinois today!

 

[Jesse Risley]

Wow, thanks so much! I feel dumb. I've been looking at the SPC for years, and over the past year+ started using the mesoanlysis, but I completely overlooked this. Now I can get cracking and determine the (notsogreat) chances for severestorms in Illinois today!

It looks to be not so great right now. ILX did an 18z sounding, as you can see on that link. The NAM had been overdoing moisture and underestimating the CINH. Per current mesoanalysis, the area of height falls is moving east, with the vort. max a bit ahead of schedule, and Tds leave something to be desired. Of more significance, of course, should be that -308 J/Kg CIN.

 

[chrisbray]

It looks to be not so great right now. ILX did an 18z sounding, as you can see on that link. The NAM had been overdoing moisture and underestimating the CINH. Per current mesoanalysis, the area of height falls is moving east, with the vort. max a bit ahead of schedule, and Tds leave something to be desired. Of more significance, of course, should be that -308 J/Kg CIN.

Yes, I am looking at that now, an incredible cap. So if I am analyzing this properly, there is a ton of shear present today, but right now the mositure content is just not there, and there is a very large cap in place, and not enough lift right now to break it, right?

 

[V. Gensini]

I have a few places in the central CONUS located here: http://vgensini.myweb.uga.edu/wx/upa.html

 

[chrisbray]

I have an additional question, when you look at a sounding on the SPC site, for example http://www.spc.noaa.gov/exper/soundings/12050312_OBS/, how does one read/interpret the bottom right hand corner where it says "SARS Sounding analogs", and then it has two categories for Supercell and Significant Hail. For this sounding, under Supercell it says "no quality matches" and under SGFNT HAIL it lists some nubmers and letters, and at the bottom of that column it says "(47 loose matches)" and "SARS: 19% SIG". What do those mean? Thanks

 

[Bob Hartig]

I have an additional question, when you look at a sounding on the SPC site, for example http://www.spc.noaa.gov/exper/soundings/12050312_OBS/, how does one read/interpret the bottom right hand corner where it says "SARS Sounding analogs", and then it has two categories for Supercell and Significant Hail. For this sounding, under Supercell it says "no quality matches" and under SGFNT HAIL it lists some nubmers and letters, and at the bottom of that column it says "(47 loose matches)" and "SARS: 19% SIG". What do those mean? Thanks

Good question, and one I didn't know the answer to until a couple of minutes ago. Check out this link for a quick definition: http://www.spc.noaa.gov/exper/soundings/help/sars.html And here's NOAA's PowerPoint presentation: http://www.nwas.org/meetings/nwa2006/SevereII/jewell/SARS.ppt
SARS appears to be a means of comparing a current sounding with similar soundings that produced significant tornadoes and hail. It taps into a large database and, in effect, says, "Based on the historical performance record of similar soundings, here's the kind of weather you might expect with this one." That's how I understand it, and I'm open for correction or further elucidation.

On a different tack, here's a source for forecast soundings that you might like to have:

http://wxcaster.com/PointBasedProducts.html

 

[chrisbray]

Good question, and one I didn't know the answer to until a couple of minutes ago. Check out this link for a quick definition: http://www.spc.noaa.gov/exper/soundings/help/sars.html And here's NOAA's PowerPoint presentation: http://www.nwas.org/meetings/nwa2006/SevereII/jewell/SARS.ppt
SARS appears to be a means of comparing a current sounding with similar soundings that produced significant tornadoes and hail. It taps into a large database and, in effect, says, "Based on the historical performance record of similar soundings, here's the kind of weather you might expect with this one." That's how I understand it, and I'm open for correction or further elucidation.

On a different tack, here's a source for forecast soundings that you might like to have:

http://wxcaster.com/PointBasedProducts.html

Thanks, I was thinking along those same lines, but I'm glad you found that link. Sorry I skipped over it when I was on the actual site.