Caveats and Disclaimers
This custom skew-T tool designed to work with the AIRS data set enables you to browse weather data anywhere in the world (at least twice per day in most locations). It is NOT a research-grade software application, although the data which it reads are of this caliber. Please be aware that these data files contain substantial amounts of quality control and precision indicators that are essential to using the AIRS data in any serious scientific investigation. This skew-T web application takes a conservative approach in converting these AIRS/AMSU observations in a skew-T-appropriate data set. Therefore, for every six-minute period of time covering a particular ground track, a selected subset of the possible 1,350 individual observations may not be available. In addition, the algorithms that reconstruct the air temperature and water vapor profiles sometimes have difficulty over stretches of land or in the presence of very thick low-lying clouds.
Read the entire Caveats and Disclaimers page.
Find out More
Introduction to the Skew-T Plot
How to use the AIRS Skew-T Tool
Principles of Convection I: Buoyancy and CAPE - Contains an excellent side-by-side animation showing how the atmosphere maps onto the skew-T plot.
Forecasting Tornados: Forecasters Use Temperature, Dewpoint, and Air Pressure - An activity to practice using skew-T plots with a focus on tornados on the NOAA web site.
Upper Air Sounding Details - Description of the skew-T plot from Unisys Weather.
Your Feedback
If you use the AIRS Skew-T Tool and have suggestions for improvement or questions about the tool, please submit them on our ASK AIRS Feedback Form.