Convergence Zones

The green and yellow area of heaviest precipitation, in this case snow that corresponds with a convergence zone over the Central Cascades, WA. Notice: the NE and SW trending directional shape.
Oceanic convergence zone, opposing current directions off the coast of SE Argentina showing densest phytoplankton convergence.


Since the amounts of precipitation and particularly good flying conditions in the Puget Sound area are controlled by a convergence zone/system, I thought some of you would be interested in this local article about the subject.

http://www.komonews.com/weather/faq/4306427.html

and some real good stuff here:
http://disc.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/oceancolor/scifocus/oceanColor/convergence.shtml

As far as flying goes in relation to convergence, my take:
There are many other sites in the world with meteorologic convergence zones (Valle de Bravo, Mex. and Piedriheta, Spain for example) that influence long xc flights, but I think it is actually happening more often then we are aware of on smaller scales. Such as the West facing "Rim" at Chelan when it is blowing West/Southwest and light SE or East out on the flats. Or, over Lacey on the flats where the volcanic rocks heat up to the North and the West winds kick up and collides with the South winds that boost you up and send you to the moon. Woodrat, Oregon when the upper levels blow from the Northwest and it's West/Southwest over Burnt. A lot of times it is the Southern aspect in the mountains that heat up enough adiabatically that collide with an upper level flow from the opposite direction or off direction to drive a larger scale area of lift. The winds don't necessarily have to come from the opposite directions but generally, two air masses combining together behind a mass/mountain like here (Squak Mtn small scale, Olympic Mtns larger scale) or just two air masses colliding over the flatlands becomes convergent on the leading edge and divergent behind. There's a lot of information out there from a soaring pilots perspective that could be quantified in such a way as to localize convergence zones however big or small. But this goes against my free-form way thinking of just flying and figuring it out as you go along. After awhile its those patterns that you "see" in your head from lots of practice and experience that you discover over and over again to be able to make better decisions while you are in the air. More on this later... Getting back to the subject, I think that there are more convergent zones that we arent seeing. Once we start discovering these and exploring, we will be able to travel further along through the sky under the freeist, slowest, and most exposed aircraft known to man.
Peace. SM