Jose wrote:
The sferics requires a lot of interpretation
- and few pilots have the skill set to use it to maximum effect.

What are the kinds of things involved in this interpretation? Could you
give me a few examples?

I can give you individual examples, but that won't give you a useful
understanding of how to do it.

Example:

The distance to the strikes is very approximate - however, you can
estimate the distance quite accurately by monitoring how long it takes
a radial to spread. For example: You're doing 90 kts, and in 5
minutes the dots go from showing up at your 1 o'clock position to your
1:30 (15 degree shift). That's 3 degrees per minute, and you're doing
1.5 miles per minute, so the distance from you to the cell is actually
30 miles. That can be pretty imprtant if you are expecting a right
turn sometime soon.

Example:

Not all strikes are created equal. The stormscope sees static
discharges, of which lightning is just one flavor. Generally,
lightning strikes will show as more than one dot, all along one radial
line. With time, you get pretty good at separating out real convective
activity from the light turbulence.

Example:

When approaching a line perpendicularly, the point just ahead of you
will look like the weakest spot. This is because that radial takes the
shortest path through the line. When approaching, you need to make
some heading changes to see where the real weak spots are, by comparing
the way the screen populates with dots.

To properly describe all the issues involved would take a book - or at
least a long article.

Michael