Case Setup

Assume that you are an aviation forecaster working the 16 to 04 UTC shift (7 PM to 7 AM local time) at Nairobi's Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) on 19 to 20 July 2012.

Google Earth map of Kenya with photo of aviation forecast office at Nairobi's JKIA airport

The region is usually covered by stratiform clouds in June, July, and August. That's due to temperature inversions resulting from cold Mascarene high pressure cell that originates from the southeastern part of Africa. Late afternoons, evenings, and nights are usually cloud-free, while mornings and daytime are typically cloudy.