United States thermal forecast
Scan the broader pattern of afternoon thermal potential across the contiguous United States. Compare nearby flying areas and follow the forecast through the day.
Open the United States soaring map →Thermal Soaring Forecast Maps
Hourly soaring outlook • United States
Find the hours when the sky may lift.
Explore areas favorable for thermaling with animated, hourly maps of thermal potential, approximate thermal-top height and overdevelopment screening. See how daytime heating changes across your flying region.
Choose a thermal forecast map
Start with the national soaring outlook, then choose any state map for county boundaries and cities. Step through forecast hours to see where potential rises, peaks and fades.
Forecast coverage: contiguous 48 states.
Three ways to read a soaring day
Use the layer selector on a map to compare the broad thermal pattern, its approximate vertical extent and the possibility of convective overdevelopment.
Thermal potential
An experimental 0-100 index showing areas more favorable for daytime surface heating and thermal development. Compare regions and times; the number is neither a climb rate nor a probability.
Approximate thermal top
Boundary-layer height offers a rough estimate of how high daytime mixing may reach, shown in feet above ground level. Usable lift may stop below this height.
Overdevelopment screening
An experimental index highlights where growing convection could complicate soaring. It is not a thunderstorm probability or an official hazard alert.
Plan a thermaling window
- Choose a state or the national view and select an hourly forecast time.
- Compare thermal potential with the approximate thermal-top layer.
- Check current clouds, winds and official warnings before flying.
From model grid to soaring map
USAIRNET processes NOAA HRRR weather-model fields into hourly experimental soaring layers. Its grid describes broad atmospheric conditions, not the exact field, hillside or cloud where a thermal will form.
Forecast colors help glider, hang glider and paraglider pilots compare possible soaring conditions over time.
What the shading means: Forecast colors highlight broad areas with more favorable thermal lift conditions. They do not pinpoint an individual thermal, promise a climb rate, or replace current weather observations and official aviation forecasts.
Thermal soaring questions
Can the map show exactly where to find a thermal?
No. Thermals can form and detach on a smaller scale than the model can resolve. The map shows areas favorable for lift, not the position of individual rising columns.
Does a high thermal potential number mean a specific climb rate?
No. The potential layer is an experimental 0-100 screening index. It is not a forecast of feet per minute, and the site does not assign a measured climb rate to each colored area.
What does thermal top in feet AGL mean?
AGL means above ground level. This layer approximates the height of the daytime boundary layer, which may differ from the actual top of usable soaring lift.
Are Alaska and Hawaii included?
No. The current thermal soaring maps use a weather-model grid for the contiguous United States. Alaska and Hawaii would need separate model data and maps, and are not available in this forecast yet.
Will the map show cumulus clouds or an exact cloud base?
Not currently. The three map layers cover thermal potential, approximate thermal top and overdevelopment screening. Look at current sky conditions and other weather products to evaluate clouds.