Right, I ususally check the FA before each flight. It seems like it will usually only report tops associated with convection or really thick layers. Like tops FL200 - FL400. Obviously from your example that's not always the case, but I don't think I've ever seen like OVC010 TOP 050. I just need to keep reading them, most of the summer none of this mattered. It was either VFR or raining... easy go-no-go.

Not to mention these are probably not geared toward the guy flying IFR in a Cessna 150

USMC - Thanks for the refresher. I remembered there were formulas from my PPL days and have thought about this a few times. Never got around to looking it up again though.