National Center for Atmospheric Research draws on FlightAware

The folks at NCAR have been doing some research on thunderstorm formation here in Colorado. Below is the article from AIN.

New Thunderstorm Research Begins in Colorado
The National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) began a month-long test last week aimed at better predicting when and where thunderstorms might tear their way across Colorado’s Front Range and adjacent Great Plains region. The research uses high-altitude aircraft to improve storm lead times, especially in the crucial six- to 24-hour window before storm formation. The Mesoscale Predictability Experiment (MPex-pronounced “em-pex”), funded by the National Science Foundation, includes early-morning flights with the NSF/NCAR Gulfstream V to sample the pre-storm atmosphere across Colorado and nearby states. In MPex, the aircraft cruise at 40,000 feet for up to six hours, enabling researchers to canvass the region thoroughly for severe-weather triggers. MPex will also include afternoon launches of weather balloons carrying radiosondes (equipment packages) to profile conditions around developing thunderstorms.