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Wx System Structure

Let’s take a step beyond reading the weather maps. We’ll do it together and I’m here to make sure you don’t lose your way.

Gemini Sparkle

Key Takeaways:

  • Pilots can achieve a deeper understanding of weather patterns, beyond basic forecasts, by analyzing two primary charts: the surface chart and the jet-stream level chart (e.g., 250 mb/hPa).
  • Reading upper-level charts involves understanding "geopotential heights" as pressure and applying Buys Ballot's Law to identify troughs (low heights/cold advection) and ridges (high heights/warm advection).
  • Practical forecasting rules are introduced, such as locating the worst weather between a trough and a downstream ridge, and estimating surface low and front positions based on the polar front jet's inflection point.
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Reading a weather map is typically covered in ground school and maybe even pilot refresher courses. Where are the lows and highs? What do the front markings mean? How is wind related to the isobars? This is all great but you’ve probably asked yourself, “How can I actually see this in more depth, maybe even like the forecasters do?”

You’re in luck. In WX SMARTS my primary goal is to help make you a little more of a weather expert as a pilot, able to make decision on the go. If a standard legal weather briefing is good enough for you, perhaps you’ll have no need for this information. 

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