We're getting into some of the most predictably pleasant flying conditions in the U.S. That's not to say we can't get the occasional hurricane bearing down, or a cloud-filled clipper sweeping down from the Dakotas. But as autumn arrives, days are getting shorter, the broad-scale heat-driven cyclone in the western United States is much less intense, and the onshore wind component between the oceanic highs on both coasts and the inland areas dies down. Reduced surface heating means that diurnally-driven thunderstorms are less aggressive. And for most of the western and southern U.S., this means lots of VFR conditions, especially early in the day. So, with little seasonal weather to talk about, we can review some rules of thumb. You learned many flight rules of thumb, but in meteorology we have many of our own. This is how we distill the wisdom of retiring forecasters and guide our sense of intuition as we go through the charts. Let's look at some weather rules of thumb and cover a little meteorology along the way.
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