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Our ability to forecast the weather depends on our ability to observe the weather. Until commercial aircraft started carrying atmospheric sensors, balloon-borne instruments called radiosondes (now referred to as rawinsondes) were the most practical way to get vertical profiles of temperature and moisture aloft. Data from these instruments are best viewed using a thermodynamic diagram called a Skew-T log (p).
This diagram has been used by glider pilots and meteorologists for many decades, but other pilots are just beginning to see its value in identifying cloud bases and tops, convective turbulence and icing potential. The Skew-T has generated a wave of curiosity in the pilot community, especially when drawn with forecast data rather than actual soundings. Daunting as they...
