HDG TRACK DEV DURING ACR LGT ENCOUNTER WITH TSTM ACTIVITY CREATES A POTENTIAL CONFLICT.

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EBOUND ON J-86 BTWN ELP AND FST APPROX 80 MI W OF FT STOCKTON; WE TALKED WITH ZAB CTLR ABOUT A LINE OF TSTMS TO THE E OF OUR POS WHICH STRETCHED N/S ACROSS OUR PATH. THE CTLR ADVISED A COURSE PARALLEL TO THE AIRWAY 10 MI S OF THE AIRWAY; DEVS S APPROVED. WHILE STILL IN VMC USING RADAR AND VISUAL CUES; WE DECIDED TO ENTER AN AREA BTWN 2 CELLS WHICH LOOKED TO BE A REASONABLY CLR PATH. AS WE APCHED THE 'CORRIDOR' I COULD SEE THAT IT WAS CLOSING UP AND RISING ABOVE OUR ALT VERY RAPIDLY. I MADE A COMMENT TO THE CAPT CONCERNING THIS RAPIDLY CHANGING WX DEVELOPMENT. SECONDS LATER WE ENTERED IMC AND BEGAN ENCOUNTERING MODERATE TURB IMMEDIATELY. THE CAPT ORDERED A TURN TO THE R TO EXIT THE AREA AND I BEGAN A TURN TO THE R. OUR ORIGINAL HDG WHEN ENTERING THE CLOUDS WAS APPROX 100 DEGS. AS I ENTERED THE TURN; THE CAPT INFORMED ATC OF OUR INTENTIONS TO TURN S AND THE CTLR APPROVED. DURING THE TURN; THE TURB INCREASED TO SEVERE AND WAS ACCOMPANIED BY MIXTURES OF RAIN AND ICE. MY PERSONAL FEELING WAS THAT A HDG OF 180 DEGS WOULD TAKE US DEEPER INTO THE WX AND POSSIBLY EVEN INTO THE 'CELL' WHICH WAS ORIGINALLY OFF OUR R SIDE. I TOLD THE CAPT THAT I WAS CONTINUING THE TURN FURTHER R. THE CAPT XMITTED THIS TO ATC AND ADVISED OUR NEW HDG WAS TO BE 230 DEGS. ABOUT A MIN LATER; ATC ASKED FOR OUR PRESENT HDG. WHEN WE ACKNOWLEDGED 230 DEGS; WE WERE INFORMED BY THE CTLR THAT WE HAD TFC AT 6 O'CLOCK AND TO TURN BACK TO A HDG OF 180. LATER; AS THE FLT PROGRESSED; WE WERE INFORMED BY ZHU TO CALL ZAB UPON LNDG AT MSY. IT APPEARS THAT OUR TURN TO 230 DEGS PUT US IN CONFLICT WITH ANOTHER ACFT WHICH WAS BEHIND US ORIGINALLY BUT WAS SUBSEQUENTLY GIVEN A 180 DEG HDG TO PARALLEL OUR COURSE. THERE WERE MANY ACFT DEVIATING IN THIS AREA; AND THE COM FREQ WAS BEING USED QUITE EXTENSIVELY. APPARENTLY; OUR XMISSION INFORMING THE CTLR OF OUR INTENDED TURN TO 230 DEGS WAS BLOCKED BY ANOTHER ACFT. UNDER MOST OTHER CIRCUMSTANCES; WE WOULD HAVE WAITED FOR A RESPONSE FROM THE CTLR BEFORE TURNING; BUT WITH THESE CONDITIONS ( A PAX LATER REFERRED TO THE RIDE AS AN 'E' TICKET AT DISNEYLAND) AND MY BELIEF THAT THEY WERE GOING TO WORSEN; I FELT THE PROPER ACTION WAS TO TURN NOW AND WORK ON THE APPROVAL DURING THE TURN. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 210838: I WONDER IF MORE ATC CTLRS AND MORE AVAILABLE FREQS COULD HAVE ELIMINATED THE CONGESTION. IT WAS VERY FRUSTRATING TRYING TO DO OUR JOB AND THEN REALIZE THAT THE COM WAS NOT WORKING.