On Tue, 21 Aug 2007 23:50:20 -0400, Don Byrer
wrote:

On Tue, 21 Aug 2007 03:15:51 -0400, "Roger (K8RI)"
wrote:

snip
You have to be careful depending on NEXRAD displays. Storms can and
do sometimes jump ahead of a front by as much as a 100 miles in 5 to
10 minutes. Storms associated with instability can (and do) sometimes
cover very large areas in 5 to 10 minutes. I watched a line over 50
miles wide and over 150 miles long extending from around Muskegon to
Oscoda MI, form in just over 5 minutes.

I'm a pilot as well as a wx geek and a wx/ATC radar tech...I can't say
I've EVER seen a storm move 100nm in 10 min...that would be 600nm/hr!
you must have been "embellishing " a bit


Not at all, but I don't think that's quite what I said, or at least
that was not my intention. I said "storms can jump ahead " and
probably should have said storm/cell formation can jump ahead, and "I
watched a line form". IOW a large area can go down in just minutes
giving the appearance the line is moving that fast. All too often we
think of a storm or line of storms moving, but many times what happens
with a large area of instability be it associated with a front or not,
they can give the impression of fast moving storms when it's really an
area of forming storms which was the case above.


In an hour-2 YES...and those were nasty!

Now...popping up in 10 min...100nm ahead of a front...all the time

ditto the rest of the paragraph tho... "popcorn" storms can be nasty.



Even when using NEXRAD the pilot really needs to know the lifting
factors/instability, laps rates, dew point and temperature as well as
frontal movement to plan very far ahead and remain safe in warmer
weather flying

Satellite weather in the cockpit is great, but you still need to know
a lot about the weather conditions to augment it.


Got it 100% Roger!

-Don B

Don Byrer KJ5KB
Radar Tech & Smilin' Commercial Pilot Guy
Glider & CFI wannabe
kj5kb-at-hotmail.com

"I have slipped the surly bonds of earth; now if I can just land without bending the gear..."
"Watch out for those doves...smack-smack-smack-smack..."