Flight Training - April 2011 - 38

WEATHER

By Jack Williams
SQUALL LINE thunderstorms may form 30 to 180 miles ahead of a cold front.

THE SCOOP ON SQUALLS

SQUALL-LINE THUNDERSTORMS ARE A FORCE TO RESPECT
o the astronauts aboard the Space Shuttle Challenger on April 9, 1984, the clouds in this photo were stunning but not scary, since the astronauts were orbiting 200 miles overhead. At the same time ordinary pilots, who are confined to the atmosphere, were staying far away from the line of thunderstorms in the photo, which were towering as high as 55,000 feet.
The view is from the northwest as the squall line, which was moving toward the southeast into a cloudy area, stretched roughly 450 miles from over the Gulf of Mexico south of Pensacola, Florida, to the Georgia/Florida border near the Atlantic Ocean. The low clouds in the bottom part of the photo are typical of the area of low stratus clouds and widespread light rain that often follows a squall line to create a few hours of instrument meteorological conditions (IMC). This squall line’s thunderstorms brought strong winds, hail, torrential rain, and a few small tornadoes—followed by light rain—to central and southern Florida. Squall lines in the United States usually form east of the Rocky Mountains and are most likely in the spring and early summer with the squallline “season” moving north from the southern states with warm weather.
A GANG OF THUNDERSTORMS. Pilots learn to avoid thunderstorms because they are the atmosphere’s angry, strong bullies that can attack with extreme turbulence, rain heavy enough to drown engines, balls of ice (hailstones) as big as baseballs, structural icing, and winds that blast down from a storm to spread out when they hit the ground—known as downbursts and microbursts. Any thunderstorm can

T

ANY THUNDERSTORM CAN BE MORE THAN A MATCH FOR THE MOST SKILLED PILOT IN THE STRONGEST AIRPLANE.
38 / FLIGHTTRAINING.AOPA.ORG



http://FLIGHTTRAINING.AOPA.ORG

Flight Training - April 2011

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Flight Training - April 2011

Flight Training - April 2011
Contents
President’s Perspective
Right Seat
Flight Forum
The View from Down Low
This Weekend
Tech Tip What It Looks Like News
Training Products ASI News
AOPA Action
Since You Asked
Final Exam
Member Products
Success Story
News Member Products
Insights
Flying Carpet
REVVING UP THE REVIEW
EXIT STRATEGY
TECHNIQUE
Weather
Accident Report
Flight Lesson
Flight Deck Roles
Career Advisor
Career Pilot News
The Owner/Mechanic
Male Students
Say What?
Advertiser Index
Debrief
Flight Training - April 2011 - Flight Training - April 2011
Flight Training - April 2011 - Cover2
Flight Training - April 2011 - Contents
Flight Training - April 2011 - 2
Flight Training - April 2011 - 3
Flight Training - April 2011 - President’s Perspective
Flight Training - April 2011 - 5
Flight Training - April 2011 - Right Seat
Flight Training - April 2011 - 7
Flight Training - April 2011 - Flight Forum
Flight Training - April 2011 - 9
Flight Training - April 2011 - The View from Down Low
Flight Training - April 2011 - 11
Flight Training - April 2011 - This Weekend
Flight Training - April 2011 - Tech Tip What It Looks Like News
Flight Training - April 2011 - Training Products ASI News
Flight Training - April 2011 - AOPA Action
Flight Training - April 2011 - Since You Asked
Flight Training - April 2011 - 17
Flight Training - April 2011 - Final Exam
Flight Training - April 2011 - Member Products
Flight Training - April 2011 - Success Story
Flight Training - April 2011 - News Member Products
Flight Training - April 2011 - Insights
Flight Training - April 2011 - 23
Flight Training - April 2011 - Flying Carpet
Flight Training - April 2011 - 25
Flight Training - April 2011 - REVVING UP THE REVIEW
Flight Training - April 2011 - 27
Flight Training - April 2011 - 28
Flight Training - April 2011 - 29
Flight Training - April 2011 - 30
Flight Training - April 2011 - 31
Flight Training - April 2011 - EXIT STRATEGY
Flight Training - April 2011 - 33
Flight Training - April 2011 - 34
Flight Training - April 2011 - 35
Flight Training - April 2011 - TECHNIQUE
Flight Training - April 2011 - 37
Flight Training - April 2011 - Weather
Flight Training - April 2011 - 39
Flight Training - April 2011 - 40
Flight Training - April 2011 - 41
Flight Training - April 2011 - Accident Report
Flight Training - April 2011 - 43
Flight Training - April 2011 - Flight Lesson
Flight Training - April 2011 - Flight Deck Roles
Flight Training - April 2011 - Career Advisor
Flight Training - April 2011 - 47
Flight Training - April 2011 - Career Pilot News
Flight Training - April 2011 - The Owner/Mechanic
Flight Training - April 2011 - 50
Flight Training - April 2011 - Say What?
Flight Training - April 2011 - Advertiser Index
Flight Training - April 2011 - 53
Flight Training - April 2011 - 54
Flight Training - April 2011 - 55
Flight Training - April 2011 - Debrief
Flight Training - April 2011 - Cover3
Flight Training - April 2011 - Cover4
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