/ WX WATCH / Skew-T school Deep down, you know you love 'em WHAT IF YOU COULD LOOK UP through the atmosphere and see the entire vertical temperature and dew point profiles, from the surface to 40,000 feet? Or be able to identify near-exact freezing levels? Or see where cloud layers and clear air exist? Or see where and what type of precipitation-along with icing conditions (including freezing rain)-could occur? Or see temperature inversions? Or even be able to tell if thunderstorms are likely? Sure, you can learn all these weather conditions by visiting the websites we commonly use in preflight briefings. But those sources mainly rely on textual information or one-dimensional maps. BY THOMAS A. HORNE ILLUSTRATION BY ALEX WILLIAMSON AOPA PILOT / October 2021 79