Thunderstorms and the Dry Line

Margaret W. Lamb

Saturday, February 08, 2014 at 02:01 AM ET

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Key Takeaways:

Dry line thunderstorms on the Great Plains are severe weather events caused by colliding dry and moist air masses, characterized by rapid development, powerful updrafts/downdrafts, and extreme turbulence, as highlighted by the author's personal harrowing experience.
Pilots flying in the Great Plains during late spring and early summer must proactively check aviation weather "prog charts" for dry line forecasts, depicted as an orange line with scallops, as "scattered thunderstorms" in this region can be far more hazardous than implied.
In-flight warning signs for these rapidly metastasizing storms include high dew points east of the dry line, rapidly building cumulus clouds, virga (precipitation not reaching the ground), lightning, and funnel clouds, all of which signal an urgent need to retreat.
When caught in severe turbulence, pilots should focus on gently leveling wings with rudder, avoiding aggressive aileron use, and be prepared for sudden changes in wind and pressure if landing at a nearby airport is the only option.

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Illustrations by Matthew Laznicka|

Clayton, New Mexico — way east of the Rocky Mountains, out on the Great Plains. A humid June afternoon. We had finished up in court and were sitting around in the judge’s office. The phone rang. The judge handed it to me. My friend, the airport weather forecaster, spoke abruptly: “Margaret, if you’re gonna go, you’d better git!” So after a quick weather briefing — scattered thunderstorms — I preflighted my Navion and took off on the 160-mile flight west to Taos.