1. Skew-T Description

Sounding Data » Hodograph Introduction

The Hodograph

Sounding including hodograph taken at Denver, CO, 0000 UTC, 27 Jan 2013

The hodograph is a graphical tool that helps forecasters evaluate vertical wind shear. It can be helpful at all times of the year, particularly for aviation concerns. In a convective environment, an understanding of the vertical wind shear is tremendously important for anticipating convective storm type, the likelihood of supercell storms, where new storms may form, and even storm and storm system motion.

Hodographs are frequently included with soundings on skew-T diagrams, usually in one of the upper corners of the diagram. This figure shows an AFWA MM5 model sounding, along with the associated hodograph in the upper-right corner, downloaded from the Joint Army-Air Force Weather Information Network (JAAWIN) Website. Similar sounding/hodograph plots are available from many sources.