Cloud Tops

D

DoubleD

Pre-takeoff checklist
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Display name:
David
What source do you use to get an idea of cloud tops in your preflight planning? Since the government in its wisdom has made Skew-T/LogP unavailable, I haven't found an alternate source for this information. There used to be cloud top forecasts at 1800wxbrief but I can't find that information now.
 
Windy or aviationweather.gov
 
DoubleD said:
Since the government in its wisdom has made Skew-T/LogP unavailable, I haven't found an alternate source for this information.
Click to expand...
WIndy.com has already been mentioned. Another one is:
www.tropicaltidbits.com

HRRR Model

HRRR model forecast of Radar (Rain/Frozen) for CONUS
www.tropicaltidbits.com www.tropicaltidbits.com

You can select from different weather models, including HRRR, and select from any of the recent forecast runs. Just click anywhere on the map to get a sounding.
Lots of other cool weather stuff on this website, too.

- Martin
 
I use Foreflight briefings and I use that to fly in VMC usually.
 
Note that Windy has both a cloud top map (from the ECMWF model), as well as Skew-T plots available for any given location. You can compare the ECMWF and GFS models for the Skew-T plots to get an idea of consistency a few days in advance.
 
ezwxbrief Scott D - paid for site.
WeatherSpork - app for phones. (Scott D also had a hand in this)
Foreflight has a cloud overlay that you can play with the slider.
windy app also has cloud information.
 
I use windy. Worked fine last time. I called the briefers and they said tops will be at around 17,000 ft. Too high for me. Windy said tops will be at around 10,000, which is fine for me as it was only a 50 mile long wide winter storm. Sunny before and after it, so I decided to take a look. Tops ended up being at just under 11,000 ft. so I flew over at just under 12,000 ft. with no issues.
 
I use Windy, but not the Premium version. I find the cloud tops page so imprecise as to be nearly useless. What am I missing? If I am trying to decide whether to file for 6,000 or 8,000, for example, Windy is no help. The SkewT/LogP app was much more helpful in visualizing the atmosphere's profile.
 
DoubleD said:
If I am trying to decide whether to file for 6,000 or 8,000, for example, Windy is no help. The SkewT/LogP app was much more helpful in visualizing the atmosphere's profile.
Click to expand...
In Windy, I'd use the Sounding feature... right mouse on a point on the map (white dot in the screen capture below), Sounding... this will provide SkewT-like functionality to identify altitudes "between layers".
timelapse12.png
 
DoubleD said:
I use Windy, but not the Premium version. I find the cloud tops page so imprecise as to be nearly useless. What am I missing? If I am trying to decide whether to file for 6,000 or 8,000, for example, Windy is no help. The SkewT/LogP app was much more helpful in visualizing the atmosphere's profile.
Click to expand...
I agree the windy cloud tops does leave a bit to be desired for GA, especially when there are multiple layers. Take this example:

windy1.JPG

Compare it with the sounding
windy2.JPG

From the sounding forecast it is quite clear if you were intending to fly VFR at 1400 and above you will have a problem.

Like all forecasting tools you need to learn the limitations and use it in conjunction with other information.
 
Would be great if there pilots made those reports more often. I have ATIS, asos to tell me what the bases are. But tops pireps would be more useful
 
Another vote for Foreflight. If you pay for Foreflight already, why go hunting for the same information somewhere else? I find its cloud information as well as its winds/temps aloft and icing data quite useful and generally accurate. Bear in mind that it has multiple cloud information functions available in different areas of the app, so there is a bit of a learning curve to finding what you want if you've never used it for that before. Also, my caveat here is that I pretty much always file IFR, so I'm not so interested in cloud avoidance nearly as much as icing avoidance. Sometimes those two things go hand in hand. Often, not.
 
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