1. What is MW? MW (Maximum Wind) is the pressure level in millibars of the highest wind speed on the sounding profile. 2. How is MW determined? Pressure level of highest wind speed is noted. The sounding at the bottom has the highest wind speed at 216 millibars. 3. Operational significance of MW: Jet Stream: When jet stream is overhead, value gives height of the core of the jet. Thunderstorms: High wind speeds in middle and upper troposphere provide mass evacuation for storms that develop and also helps tilt the storms. This is important for severe thunderstorms. 4. Pitfalls: a. The value given is NOT the actual wind speed. Some make the mistake for example of interpreting 150 as 150 knots rather than 150 mb. Look at the sounding at the pressure level given to determine the speed of the highest wind.  |