Avalanche Weather Links for British Columbia - The Forecast Funnel


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LINKS TO USE: WHAT TO LOOK FOR:
Global Analysis:
  1. Satellite: Water Vapour over the Eastern Pacific
  2. 250 hPa Analysis (large)
  3. 500 hPa Analysis (large)
  4. 700 hPa Analysis (large)
  5. Satellite: Infrared over the Eastern Pacific
  6. IR Satellite with 500hPa Contours

250hpa analysis and WV Satellite

  • Find Jet Stream
  • Dectect Rossby Waves: global anticyclonic flow (Rossby Ridge); global cyclonic flow (Rossby Trough)
  • Find centers of locally high speeds (jets)

500hpa and WV/IR Satellite

  • Identify the general Flow Direction (Airmass origin?)
  • Find synoptic Lows/Troughs & Highs/Ridges
  • For each synoptic H/L identify the Rossby it is embedded in (cross-check with WV images) and note its moving direction.
  • Focus on tight Gradients

700hpa

  • Find Lows/Troughs & Highs/Ridges
  • Focus on tight gradients
  • Areas of high moisture (any fronts)?

    • Synoptic Analysis:
    1. 700 hPa Analysis (large)
    2. Surface Panel (top right panel in the image)
    3. IR Satellite and Surface Analysis
    		 700hpa
    • Flow: Origin Airmass? Moisture and Temperature?
    • Flow direction: Upslope? Downslope?
    • Moisture: Frontal?
    SFC Panel
    • Lows/Troughs and Highs/Ridges?
    • Associated with upper lows and highs?
    • General surface flow direction (Low: cyclonic; High: anticyclonic)
    • Areas of low thickness (cold cores)?
    • Areas of high thickness (warm cores)?
    • Any warm noses (anticyclonic curvature in thickness lines)?
    • Areas of thickness advection (warm air advection/ cold air advection)?
    Regional Analysis - Confirm Findings:
    1. CMC Analysis
    2. Current GFA (Clouds and Weather)
    3. Current GFA (Freezing Levels - in 100 feet)
    4. BC Webcams
    5. Metars and Tafs (Also: Bottom of this web page)
    6. Tephigrams (balloon soundings)
    		 Confirm all findings with
    • CMC analysis
    • GFA
    • Metars Obs
    • Webcams
    • Tephigrams
    Forecast:
    1. 4 Panel forecast (Canadian GEM model)
    2. GFA forecast
    3. Avalanche Wx forecast (precip and winds)
    4. Environment Canada Text Forecast
    5. Low level maximum winds
    6. Tephigrams (prog tephis)
    7. Tafs (Also: Bottom of this web page)
    		 Weather Model Forecasts
    • Precipitation amounts: bottom right of 4 panel fcst
    • General Weather, freezing precip? and sfc winds: GFA
    • Freezing level: GFA
    • Upper winds, freezing levels and moisture layers: Tephis
    • Timing/intensity of frontal passages: TAF
    Current Observations:      METARS  TAFs    Raw Format  Translated  

     

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    Current Observations:      METARS  TAFs    Raw Format  Translated