Is SKEW-T still important to soaring pilots ?

On Monday, February 29, 2016 at 9:22:12 AM UTC-8, wrote:
Having used XC skies and now Topmeteo, I wonder what's the need to get the forecasted SKEW -T diagram to points along your task.
Will you as, a pilot, get any better prediction of soaring conditions if you use both ?
Dan

Pretty maps tell you what is supposed to happen. Skew T tells you why -- and helps you to figure out why it's not happening.

For example a "top of lift" occasioned by a very shallow intersection of adiabatic parcel with the surrounding air is a very different forecast than one with a hard inversion.

Skew T shows the vertical profile of wind and direction.

Skew T shows you how close you are to things not in the graphical forecast. How close to OD/not OD? How close to cirrus formation?

John Cochrane