![\"\"](\"https:\/\/inside.nssl.noaa.gov\/ewp\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/22\/2019\/05\/1843Z_soundingspots.png\")
<\/p>\nI know, I know; a lot of posts about the GLM.\u00a0 What can I say…I’m a lightning person.\u00a0 ANYWAY, let’s look at some other things that we are testing; today it is NUCAPS soundings.\u00a0 Pretty handy when you don’t have a sounding station nearby and if skies are clear (well, mostly clear…it works with clouds in some situations); you can get a sounding profile for your area.\u00a0 Nice!\u00a0 The caveat is that you need to have a satellite overpass across your area and that is the tricky part.\u00a0 There are only a few satellite overpasses on any given day and you have to be right under the overpass to get the best data but we can make it work.\u00a0 Here is one from today and we’ll look at the point right on the TX\/OK state line.<\/p>\n
With a possibility of storms across western Oklahoma along the cold front as it moves east, we need a point somewhere in the warm sector with a close enough METAR site that we can adjust to if needed.\u00a0 That point along the TX\/OK state line should work…<\/p>\n
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Here is what the original, unedited sounding looks like:<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/inside.nssl.noaa.gov\/ewp\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/22\/2019\/05\/TXOK_StateLine_original.png\")
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It’s not too bad; comparing to the 12Z Amarillo and Norman soundings (not shown), the soundings do have an EML between 3-4 km\u00a0 which the NUCAPS sounding temperature profile does hint at although it doesn’t have the dry air associated with it, and the NUCAPS sounding does have the tropopause a bit lower than the actual soundings.\u00a0 Overall however, it looks at least somewhat representative.\u00a0 However, the one area it needs some work is the surface.\u00a0 Dewpoints are a bit low with the sounding around 54 F but the temperature is within 1-2 F of surrounding METARs.\u00a0 Well, let’s adjust the surface parcel in the sounding to match surface conditions in the warm sector to the east; say a Td of 60 which should advect northward through the day…<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/inside.nssl.noaa.gov\/ewp\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/22\/2019\/05\/TXOK_StateLine_Edit.png\")
<\/p>\n
Wham.\u00a0 MUCAPE values jump by almost 1000 J\/kg.\u00a0 But that’s pretty optimistic so let’s used MLCAPE which is a smaller, but still respectable increase of 200 J\/kg.\u00a0 \u00a0Not to shabby and should indicate at least the potential for storms to form.\u00a0 But what does that CAPE value compare to other fields?\u00a0 Well, fortunately NUCAPS is available in a plan plot so we’ll look at that along with the RAP40 CAPE values.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/inside.nssl.noaa.gov\/ewp\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/22\/2019\/05\/NUCAPS_CAPE_Fcst.png\")
<\/p>\n
Unfortunately the NUCAPE sounding was a bit fast with the dryline pushing east and had CAPE values along the TX\/OK state line around 475 J\/kg so…no.\u00a0 The RAP40 wasn’t too far off with values around 1500 J\/kg.<\/p>\n
So, if you are looking for some extra “sounding” profiles in and around your area AND you are lucky enough to be under one of the\u00a0 Polar Orbiter tracks that has a sounder on it, give it a spin.\u00a0 I think I’ll be looking at it quite a bit more…<\/p>\n
-Dusty<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
I know, I know; a lot of posts about the GLM.\u00a0 What can I say…I’m a lightning person.\u00a0 ANYWAY, let’s look at some other things that we are testing; today… <\/p>\n