Weather Review for July 27

Well what can you say? Conditions started out nice with cumulus clouds forming by 10:30 am. Nothing too threatening but some indications of vertical development. Winds on launch were strong SW in the early morning (7 am) but were pleasantly light by 11 am from the west. The day was working by 11 am, but the time requirements to create the task, have a meeting and open launch with start 50 minutes after pushed the race start time to 12:45.

By 12:15 the region developed deep convection in every direction except for north. By 1:15 convective cells were dropping rain in adjacent valleys with lightening. By 1:45 the entire region was under heavy rain.

The morning forecast captured the winds aloft, valley flow and chance of precip well. The mention of a drying trend simply did not happen in the Richfieield area. A review of the water vapor imagery shows a distinct dry line cutting through central Utah along the Delta to Price line. This was too far north for us to take advantage of.

There was nothing the task committee, organizers or wx briefings could have helped with the day. It may have been possible to get a task in starting at 11 am, but that would require a morning meeting of 7 am or earlier.

Tomorrow we are meeting again at 9 am, which may not be in our favor with the chance of precip.

Radar for 3:30 pm in southern Utah, courtesy of Weather Underground (wunderground.com).


An interesting line can be seem over the two ranges surrounding Richfield. The line extended south to Beaver, with relatively clear skies to the south, which was not represented in the day's forecast.