What weather conditions can be anticipated during conditionally unstable conditions?
Refer to figure.
Stable air inhibits vertical motion and tends to result in calm (though not necessarily favorable) weather, whereas unstable air can lead to turbulence and severe weather.
The table below outlines the differences in weather expected between stable and unstable atmospheric conditions:
Stable conditions | Unstable conditions | |
Clouds |
Stratiform clouds and fog. |
Cumuliform clouds. |
Precipitation |
Continuous precipitation. |
Showery precipitation. Precipitation tends to be reasonably intense due to the vertical cloud formations that can hold large quantities of water. This results in large raindrops and hail, falling in relatively short but intense showers since such clouds usually lack extensive horizontal coverage. |
Visibility |
Fair to poor visibility in haze and smoke. |
Good visibility except in blowing obstructions. Visibility is generally good as smoke and dust particles near the surface are carried upwards. However, visibility can become very poor during rain or hail showers. |
Turbulence |
Smooth air. |
Rough air (turbulence). The strong vertical air movement generates moderate to severe turbulence. |
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Austro Control