4. Forecast Applications

Introduction

Aerial photo of rain shaft

There are a wide range of forecasting problems that lend themselves to the use of the plotted skew-T diagram and associated atmospheric parameters in real-world applications. These include, but are not limited to:

  • assessment of convective potential and severity
  • forecasting wind shear, turbulence, and icing hazards to aircraft
  • forecasting temperatures and precipitation type

This section builds upon the concepts of basic skew-T interpretation, evaluation of parameters, and stability assessment by applying the Interactive Skew-T to several forecast problems dealing with a variety of phenomena.