Why produce a soaring forecast from an atmospheric model?
As mentioned above, not all NWS offices provide upper air soundings. This limits the specific locations that soaring forecast indices can be produced. NWS atmospheric models are able to produce sounding data at points away from upper air sites. Programs have been written (at NWS Spokane, WA) to interpret the model data and calculate the indices just as they are for traditional sounding sites. This has been done on an experimental basis and user feedback would be appreciated. The model also provides the ability to calculate the next day’s, 12 UTC soaring forecast which may help in planning future soaring activities. So, the main goal of this project is to provide soaring forecast portability while not sacrificing data and forecast quality, and attempting to provide more than the current day’s soaring forecast. What are the limitations of the model generated soundings? Atmospheric models are not sophisticated enough to exactly represent the atmosphere due to computation and atmospheric s
