A Pilots Guide To Aviation Weather Services

A Pilot's Guide to Aviation Weather Services
October 1, 2020
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)

A Pilot’s Guide to Aviation Weather Services
REVISION HISTORY
The table below identifies all changes that have been incorporated into this document.
Version Draft Date Summary of Changes

1.0 10/1/2020 Initial Release
1, Removed ZOB Facebook link
1.01 11/5/2020 2. Correction to High Level SIGWX
link
Added CWSU Memphis Facebook
1.02 11/20/2020
link in the Social Media section
Added section 6.2 to add links to
1.03 12/4/2020
NWS office aviation web pages
Update to a few office web page links
1.04 9/8/2021
in 6.2
Added Aviation Weather Services
1.05 12/9/2021
webpage to section 6.2
Renamed “Pre Flight” to “Mission
Planning” to match standard aviation
terms.
1.06 12/21/2021 Added new link to section 10.4
Added a FAA training link to AWC

Standard Briefing description on page
18.
Added Tropical Products section
1.07 2/15/2022 Added Volcanic Ash Advisory section
Edit updates to several sections
1.08 1/17/2023 General corrections and updates
2
TABLE OF CONTENTS
REVISION HISTORY 2
TABLE OF CONTENTS 3
PURPOSE AND SCOPE 4
MISSION PLANNING 5
DAY OF DEPARTURE 8
EN ROUTE PRODUCTS 12
AVIATION WEATHER TOOLS 15
DECISION SUPPORT TOOLS 17
SOCIAL MEDIA 20
NWS Aviation Webpages 22
ALASKA / HAWAI’I PRODUCTS 25
INTERNATIONAL PRODUCTS 26
TROPICAL PRODUCTS 29
VOLCANIC ASH ADVISORY PRODUCTS 30
Appendix A: Acronyms and Abbreviations 31
Appendix B: Products and Associated Links 38
3
1 PURPOSE AND SCOPE

This guide helps you use the National Aviation Weather System to the fullest extent possible.
The information and services described here are provided by the National Weather Service
(NWS), and available through the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), as well as information
service companies.
The NWS issues a wide range of aviation weather products and services for the National
Airspace System (NAS). The NWS products and services are provided by the Aviation Weather
Center (AWC), the Alaska Aviation Weather Unit (AAWU), Center Weather Service Units
(CWSU), and Weather Forecast Offices (WFO). These offices are staffed with skilled
meteorologists who analyze atmospheric conditions, develop forecasts of aviation threats, and
issue advisory and warning-level products for safe and efficient flight.
Offices as well as numerous agencies across the NAS collaborate daily to keep the aviation
community safe and up to date with the latest aviation weather information.
Aviation weather products and services are available to all pilots of the aviation community. The
Preflight, Day of Departure, and En Route products portion of the guide cover services available
during the aforementioned stage of flight planning. Some of these tools overlap during the
decision making process, so it is important to understand how each product fits into your flying
timeline. The Decision Support Tools section of the guide provides useful tools available from
the Aviation Weather Center that incorporate various products into one easy to use application.
The section also highlights additional web pages available for the decision making process,
including social media sites.
4
2 MISSION PLANNING
The products below will assist in flight planning and highlight any potentially hazardous weather
expected in the days leading up to your expected day of departures.
AVIATION SURFACE AND CLOUD The Aviation Surface Forecast and Aviation Clouds Forecast
FORECAST GRAPHICS
graphics are 18-hour snapshot images. These images are derived
from a subset of the aviation weather forecasts valid for the
continental United States (CONUS) and coastal waters. They are
used within the Graphical Forecasts for Aviation interactive
web-based display.
Help Page
Product Description Document
UPPER AIR FORECASTS The Model Analysis and Guidance (MAG) website displays images
from weather prediction models and observational data.
Users Guide
5
CONVECTIVE OUTLOOK The NWS Storm Prediction Center (SPC) provides forecasts and
watches for severe thunderstorms and tornadoes over the contiguous
United States.
Info on SPC Products
NATIONAL DIGITAL FORECAST The National Digital Forecast Database (NDFD) is a suite of
DATABASE
gridded forecasts of sensible weather elements.
Info on the NDFD
TROPICAL WX OUTLOOK The NWS National Hurricane Center (NHC) provides forecasts,
watches, and warnings for tropical storms and hurricanes.
Info on the NHC
SURFACE PROG CHARTS Prog Charts are forecasts for surface conditions. The Weather
Prediction Center (WPC) provides an analysis updated every 3
hours plus 12 and 24 hour forecasts updated 4 times per day and a
36 and 48 hour forecast updated twice per day. WPC also issues
medium range forecasts every day from 3-7 days . These forecasts
are valid for the contiguous United States.
Info on the Surface Prog Chart
WINDS/TEMPS ALOFT The Winds/Temps page provides 2D graphics of winds and

temperatures at a multitude of altitudes from the current time until
multiple days in the future.
Info on Winds/Temp Aloft Page
6
FREEZING LEVEL FORECAST The Freezing Level Forecast is an hourly graphical freezing level
forecast. It goes out to 18 hours in the future.
TAF FORECASTS A Terminal Aerodrome Forecast (TAF) is the international standard

code format for terminal forecasts issued for airports. TAFs are
valid for 24 or 30 hour time periods and are issued 4 times a day at
6 hour intervals.
How to interpret a TAF Forecast
NWS WFO DISCUSSIONS Aviation Area Forecast Discussions (AFD) are issued by each NWS
weather service forecast office (WFO) to describe the weather
conditions within their region as it relates to the creation of the TAF.
These discussions point out aviation related issues that cannot be
encoded into the TAF. The discussion also gives some reasoning
behind the forecast. AFDs are generated roughly every 6 hours and
correspond to the release of the latest TAFs for that office.
EXTENDED TCF The Extended Convective Forecast Product (ECFP) Planning Tool
graphically depicts the forecast probability of thunderstorms. The
product shows where in the U.S. thunderstorms are likely over the
next 72 hours. The ECFP is intended to enhance the TFM
Collaborative Forecast (TCF). The TCF is only valid out to 8 hours.
The product is not a TCF forecast (it is not forecasting the exact
TCF criteria), but intended to support the long range planning for
Extended TCF Help Page TCF type of constraints in the National Airspace System.
Extended TCF Product

Description Document
7
3 DAY OF DEPARTURE
On your day of departure, review weather data found in the pre-flight section as well as the
following products.
GRAPHICAL FORECASTS FOR The Graphical Forecasts for Aviation (GFA) web page gives users a
AVIATION TOOL
complete picture of the weather that may impact flights CONUS,
the Gulf of Mexico, the Caribbean, Alaska and Hawaii, and portions
of the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.
GFA Help Page
Short GFA tutorial video
NWS Product Description

Document (PDD)
LOW LEVEL SIG WEATHER The low-level graphics product is a forecast of aviation weather
hazards. It is primarily intended to be used as a guidance product for
briefing the VFR pilot.
Low Level SigWX Chart Help
8
CONVECTIVE PRODUCTS On the AWC web page you can find information on convective
impacts on aviation.
TRAFFIC FLOW MANAGEMENT The TCF is a high confidence graphic of forecasted convection
CONVECTIVE FORECAST
meeting specific criteria for coverage, intensity, and echo top height.
The TCF graphics are produced every 2 hours and are valid at 4-,
6-, and 8- hours after issuance time.
TCF Help Page
TCF Product Description

Document
TURBULENCE PRODUCTS The Turbulence page depicts Graphical Turbulence Guidance

(GTG) . This product forecasts turbulence from the surface to FL
450 with 0, 1, 2, 3, 6, 9, 12, 15 and 18 hour lead-times. It is driven
by and synchronized with NOAA's "Rapid Refresh" of the RAP
forecast model.
Turbulence Help Page
GTG Graphics
Tutorial on using the GTG
9
ICING PRODUCTS On the AWC web page you can find information on forecast (FIP)
and current icing (CIP) conditions.
Icing Help Page
Using the CIP/FIP pages
How to Properly Use an Icing

Forecast
SIGMETS A U.S. SIGMET advises of weather, other than convective activity,

that is potentially hazardous to all aircraft. SIGMETs are issued (for
the lower 48 states and adjacent coastal waters) for up to 6 hours.
SIGMETS are issued for the following weather-related reasons:
● Severe Icing
● Severe or Extreme Turbulence
● Dust storms and/or sand storms lowering visibilities to less
than 3 miles
● Volcanic Ash
SIGMET Help
SIGMET Display Help
10
G- AIRMETS A G-AIRMET is a graphical advisory of weather that may be

hazardous to aircraft. This product is for conditions less severe than
SIGMETs. G-AIRMETs are issued at discrete times 3 hours apart
for a period of up to 12 hours into the future (00, 03, 06, 09, and 12
hours). They are issued at 03:00, 09:00, 15:00 and 21:00 UTC, with
updates issued as necessary.
The aviation hazards depicted in the G-AIRMET are Turbulence,

Low Level Wind Shear, Strong Surface WInds, Icing, Freezing
G-AIRMET Help Level, IFR and Mountain Obscuration.
G-AIRMET Display Help
G-AIRMET Thumbnails
CWSU ADVISORIES NWS Center Weather Service Units (CWSU) are co-located with
FAA Air Route Traffic Control Centers (ARTCC) facilities. They
issue two aviation products.
The Center Weather Advisory (CWA) is valid for up to two hours

for conditions meeting or approaching national in-flight advisory
criteria (AIRMET or SIGMET).
The Meteorological Impact Statement (MIS) is an unscheduled flow

control and flight operations planning forecast. It is a non-technical
forecast and briefing product for personnel at ARTCC, ATCSCC,
CWSU Product Help
TRACONS, and ATCTs who are responsible for making flow
control-type decisions.
11
4 EN ROUTE PRODUCTS
The products listed in the table below can be used for pre-flight, day of departure or en-route
planning.
AIRCRAFT REPORTS (PIREPS) An Aircraft Report is a report of actual weather conditions

encountered by an aircraft while in flight. There are two types of
reports, AIREPS and PIREPS:
An AIREP is a routine, often automated report of in-flight weather

conditions such as wind and temperature.
A PIREP is a pilot report detailing encounters of hazardous weather

PIREP Plots Realtime such as icing or turbulence.
PIREP raw data reports
Both reports are sent in real-time via radio to a ground station.
Aircraft Report Help
Aircraft Report Plot Help
Aircraft Report Data Help
12
METARs Weather stations worldwide report conditions hourly using the

WMO approved METAR format (see WMO code manual FM-15
and FM-16). These data are centrally collected by each country and
distributed internationally by the WMO and other services.
Impacts METAR Board

METAR Plots Realtime
METAR raw Data
METAR Help Overview

Impacts METARs Help
Interpreting METARs
Interpreting METAR Plots
RADAR IMAGERY There are 159 NEXRAD radars systems deployed in the United
States and around the world. These radars use WSR-88D
technology. The "Doppler" capability of these radars uses shifts in
the phase of the reflected energy to determine the velocity of the
particles towards or away from the radar. The effective detection
range is between 80 and 140 nautical miles, depending on the
intensity of the precipitation. In clear air mode, these radars transmit
data every 10 minutes. In precip mode, they transmit every 4 to 6
minutes.
Static Radar Plot
Radar Mosaics
Radar Help Overview
13
SATELLITE IMAGERY The satellite page contains links to national-scale and regional-scale
satellite images from the GOES-17 (West) and GOES-16 (East)
satellites, as well as international satellites from across the globe.
There are also links to satellite images with the
LIFR/IFR/VFR/MVFR icons overlaid.
Images are provided for three of the different wavelength sensors on

the satellite: Infrared (IR), Water Vapor, and Visible/Fog.
Regional Satellite Imagery
International Satellite
Imagery
Satellite Help Overview
Satellite Image Types
14
5 AVIATION WEATHER TOOLS
The Aviation Weather Center produces several tools that serve to help the aviation community.
GRAPHICAL FORECASTS FOR The Graphical Forecasts for Aviation (GFA) web page gives users a
AVIATION TOOL
complete picture of the weather that may impact flights CONUS,
the Gulf of Mexico, the Caribbean, and portions of the Atlantic and
Pacific Oceans.
GFA Help Page

Document (PDD)
FLIGHT PATH TOOL The Flight Path Tool (FPT) is a comprehensive, interactive,
geographical display that brings together all of the weather products
available on ADDS. It runs as a desktop application for maximum
performance.
The Flight Path Tool can overlay multiple fields of interest: icing
(probability, severity, and supercooled large drops), turbulence
potential, convective diagnosis and forecast, ceiling, visibility, flight
category, winds, relative humidity, temperature, radar (base and
composite reflectivity), satellite observations (visible, infra-red, and
water vapor wavelengths), AIRMETs and SIGMETs, METARs,
Flight Path Tool Info TAFs, and PIREPs.
Flight Path Tool Tutorial
15
HELICOPTER EMERGENCY This tool is designed to show weather conditions for short-distance
MEDICAL SERVICES (HEMS)
and low-altitude flights that are common for the helicopter
TOOL
emergency medical services (HEMS) community.
HEMS Overview
Products Help
Tutorial
TEXT DATA SERVER (TDS) The Text Data Server complements and enhances the AWC website
by providing direct and queryable access to much of the real-time
data that is depicted elsewhere on the site.
Current data is collected every five minutes and is available here in

XML, CSV, and gzip formats.
16
6 DECISION SUPPORT TOOLS
These tools are designed for specific aviation applications to aid both pilots and decision makers.
TRAFFIC FLOW MANAGEMENT One stop shop for Traffic Flow Management decision makers.
PORTAL
The webpage is broken down into three sections:

● Planning and Forecasting
● Tactical
● Post Analysis (Archive)
IMPACTS TAF BOARD The Impacts TAF Board is a fully customizable time series display
of current and forecast conditions, color coded to alert the user to
potential impacts.
Help Page
17
WINTER WEATHER DASHBOARD This dashboard provides a decision support tool to alert operational
meteorologists and air traffic managers to potential winter weather
impacts at major airports.
TFM GATE FORECASTS There is a need for forecasts of significant weather in arrival and
departure sectors for the top airports. These sectors, also called
gates, are polygonal regions which roughly follow ARTCC low
level sectors where arrivals and departures to these airports will be
routed. It is important to know whether significant weather, such as
thunderstorms, could affect large portions of the sectors so that
traffic can be rerouted to other sectors if needed.
Help Page
Gate Forecast Product

Description
AWC STANDARD BRIEFING The AWC "Standard Briefing" page is designed to help pilots and
WEBPAGE
aircrews with flight planning and familiarization. Use the page in
conjunction with other pre-flight information sources needed to
satisfy all the requirements of 14 CFR 91.103. It should not be your
sole source of information to meet preflight action. Pilots can
receive a complete preflight briefing from a Flight Service Station
(1-800-WXBRIEF).
To have a better understanding what is recommended in a standard

briefing, the FAA has training courses available here.
18
AIRPORT WEATHER WARNINGS The AWW alerts airports about weather with the potential to impact
(AWW)
ground operations. Specific warning criteria are decided by local
airport management and the supporting Weather Forecast Office.
The AWW complements and is consistent with existing NWS
warnings and forecasts to the maximum extent possible.
19
6.1 SOCIAL MEDIA
Many offices and organizations maintain accounts on social media platforms such as Twitter,
Facebook, etc. where they post aviation information that’s relevant to their local areas.
DO NOT RELY ON SOCIAL MEDIA FOR CURRENT AVIATION WEATHER HAZARDS

OR INFORMATION. Always visit www.weather.gov or www.aviationweather.gov for the latest
weather observations and aviation forecasts.
Social media links
Office Twitter Facebook
Aviation Weather Center (AWC) https://twitter.com/NWSAWC https://www.facebook.com/US.

NOAA.AviationWeatherCenter
Alaska Aviation Weather Unit -- --

(AAWU)
Hawai’i Aviation Products -- --
CWSU Albuquerque (KZAB) https://twitter.com/NWSCWSU --

ZAB
CWSU Anchorage (PAZA) https://twitter.com/NWSCWSU --

ZAN
CWSU Atlanta (KZTL) -- --
CWSU Boston (KZBW) https://twitter.com/NWSCWSU --

ZBW
CWSU Chicago (KZAU) -- --
CWSU Cleveland (KZOB) -- --
CWSU Denver (KZDV) -- --
CWSU Fort Worth (KZFW) -- --
CWSU Houston (KZHU) -- --
CWSU Indianapolis (KZID) -- --
CWSU Jacksonville (KZJX) -- --
20
CWSU Kansas City (KZKC) -- --
CWSU Los Angeles (KZLA) -- https://www.facebook.com/NW

SCWSUZLA
CWSU Memphis (KZME) -- https://www.facebook.com/CWS

UMemphis
CWSU Miami (KZMA) -- --
CWSU Minneapolis (KZMP) -- --
CWSU New York (KZNY) -- https://www.facebook.com/NW

SCWSUZNY
CWSU Oakland (KZOA) https://twitter.com/NWSCWSU https://www.facebook.com/NW

ZOA SCWSUZOA
CWSU Salt Lake City (KZLC) https://twitter.com/NWSCWSU --

ZLC
CWSU Seattle, WA (KZSE) https://twitter.com/NWSCWSU https://www.facebook.com/NW

ZSE SCWSUZSE
CWSU Washington (KZDC) -- --
6.2 NWS Aviation Webpages
21
AVIATION WEATHER SERVICES Use this page to access a wide range of aviation weather
WEBPAGE
information. Sections include NWS In Aviation, Hazards in
Aviation, Aviation Partners, Supporting Offices, NWS Aviation
Outreach, Aviation Technical Resources, and Aviation Careers.
Many NWS offices have their own aviation meteorology web page. These pages are useful for
local pilots to use to find pertinent information and links for their area.
NWS OFFICE
Aberdeen SD Great Falls, MT Omaha, NE
Albany, NY Green Bay, WI Paducah, KY
Albuquerque, NM Greer, SC Pendleton, OR
Amarillo, TX Guam Philadelphia, PA
Anchorage, AK Hanford, CA Phoenix, AZ
Atlanta, GA Hastings, NE Pittsburgh, PA
Billings, MT Honolulu, HI Pleasant Hill, MO
Binghamton, NY Houston, TX Pocatelo, ID
Birmingham, AL Huntsville, AL Portland, ME
Bismarck, ND Indianapolis, IN Portland, OR
22
Blacksburg, VA Jackson, MS Pueblo, CO
Boise, ID Jackson, KY Quad Cities, IA
Boston, MA Jacksonville, FL Raleigh, NC
Brownsville, TX Juneau, AK Rapid City, SD
Buffalo, NY Key West, FL Reno, NV
Burlington, VT Knoxville, TN Riverton, WY
Caribou, ME La Crosse, WI Sacramento, CA
Charleston, SC Lake Charles, LA Salt Lake City, UT
Charleston, WV Las Vegas, NV San Angelo, TX
Cheyenne, WY Lincoln, NE San Antonio, TX
Chicago, IL Little Rock, AR San Diego, CA
Cleveland, OH Los Angeles, CA San Francisco, CA
Columbia, SC Louisville, KY San Juan, PR
Corpus Christi, TX Lubbock, TX Seattle, WA
Denver, CO Marquette, MI Shreveport, LA
Des Moines, IO Medford, OR Sioux Falls, SD
Detroit, MI Melbourne, FL Spokane, WA
Dodge City, KS Memphis, TN Springfield, MO
Duluth, MN Miami, FL St Louis, MO
El Paso, TX Midland, TX State College, PA
Elko, NV Milwaukee, WI Sterling, VA
Eureka, CA Minneapolis, MN Tallahassee, FL
Fairbanks, AK Missoula, MT Tampa, FL
Flagstaff, AZ Mobile, AL Topeka, KS
23
Fort Worth, TX Northern Indiana Tucson, AZ
Gaylord, MI Nashville, TN Tulsa, OK
Glasgow, MT New Orleans, LA Wakefield, VA
Goodland, KS New York, NY Wichita, KS
Grand Forks, ND Newport, NC Wilmington, NC
Grand Junction, CO Norman, OK Wilmington, OH
Grand Rapids, MI North Platte, NE
24
7 ALASKA / HAWAI’I PRODUCTS
ALASKA AVIATION WEATHER The AAWU is a one stop shop for aviation weather information for
UNIT (AAWU) WEBPAGE
Alaska and the surrounding waters.
The page is broken up into the following categories:

● Current Conditions
● Radar
● Satellite
● Surface Chart and Flight Categories
● SigWX Charts
● Turbulence
● Icing
● Convection
ALASKA AVIATION WEATHER These webcams have been installed at airports throughout Alaska to
CAMERAS
provide additional weather data.
For Further Information
HAWAI’I AVIATION PRODUCTS Aviation products for the immediate Hawai’i area include:, TAFs,
area forecasts, upper level wind and temperature forecasts, and
AIRMETs for low clouds, turbulence, and icing.
In addition, the Honolulu forecast office is an aviation

Meteorological Watch Office that covers approximately 8,650,800
square miles.
Forecast Area Map
25
8 INTERNATIONAL PRODUCTS
The AWC is one of two world area forecast centers with global responsibility. The other center is the UK
Meteorological Office in Exeter, England.
WORLD AREA FORECAST The World Area Forecast Center (WAFC) in Washington, DC is one
SYSTEM DISPLAY
of two international WAFCs.
The WAFC produces Global Significant Weather Charts used in

flight planning and dispatch; the WAFC Internet File System
(WIFS); WAFC global grids, and wind and temperature charts.
The WAFS website demonstrates how the WAFS gridded data can
be displayed. The display is not approved for use by either the FAA
or ICAO, though the underlying gridded data are approved for use
WAFS Data Help in support of flight planning. WAFS gridded data are available on
the WAFS Internet File Service to FAA approved users. For more
WAFS Product Description information on how to gain access to the gridded data, see the link
Document to the WAFS website.
WAFS Internet File Service

(WIFS) Data (requires username
and password)
26
INTERNATIONAL FLIGHT The flight folder consists of the following pertaining to the route of
FOLDER PROGRAM
flight and approximate altitude:
● Wind and temperature aloft forecast chartsSIGWX
● Significant weather charts (with abbreviated plain language
descriptions of forecasts as appropriate)
● TAFs for departure, destination and alternate
● SIGMET charts of tropical cyclones and/or volcanic ash as
appropriate
● For flights of 2 hours or less, aerodrome reports (METAR),
special reports (SPECI), SIGMETs (for any phenomena),
Overview and appropriate special air reports (AIREP).
Flight folders in PDF format can easily be created.
GRAPHICAL FORECASTS FOR The Graphical Forecasts for Aviation (GFA) web page is intended to
AVIATION TOOL
provide the necessary aviation weather information to give users a
complete picture of the weather that may impact flight in CONUS,
the Gulf of Mexico, the Caribbean, and portions of the Atlantic and
Pacific Oceans.
GFA Help Page

Document (PDD)
HIGH LEVEL SIG WEATHER High level SIGWX charts are valid at specific fixed times: 0000,
0600, 1200, and 1800 UTC. They show significant en-route weather
phenomena over a range of flight levels from 250 to 630 as well as
associated surface weather features.
High Level SigWX Chart Help
27
MID LEVEL SIG WEATHER The AWC routinely provides a Mid Level Significant Weather
for the North Atlantic
chart, between FL100 and FL450, for the North Atlantic Ocean
Region (NAT).
The presentation of significant weather on the mid level significant

weather chart is similar in many respects to that on High Level
Significant Weather charts. The detail required, however, is more
extensive because the bottom of the chart is now at FL100 instead
of FL250. Aircraft flying at these lower levels in the atmosphere,
below FL250, will more likely encounter larger areas of icing and
turbulence.
Mid Level SigWX Chart Help
VOLCANIC ASH ADVISORIES The five most recent messages are listed first, followed by an
alphabetical listing by volcano name.
Where available, graphics are attached to the Volcanic Ash

Advisories.
28
9 TROPICAL PRODUCTS
The National Hurricane Center (NHC) in Coral Gables, Florida and the Central Pacific Hurricane Center
in Honolulu, Hawaii Produce Tropical Cyclone Advisories (TCA) for aviation interests.
Tropical Cyclone ICAO Aviation The Aviation Tropical Cyclone Advisory is issued to provide short
Advisory
term tropical cyclone forecast guidance for international aviation
safety and routing purposes.
The TCA lists the current TC position, motion, and intensity, and
includes 6, 12, 18, and 24 hour forecast positions and intensities.
Position and intensity information for forecast hours (+06, +12, +18
and +24) is derived from interpolated forecast information –
intensity is rounded to the nearest 5 knots.
TCA Product Description Issuance of the Aviation Tropical Cyclone Advisory occurs every
Document six hours at the regular advisory issuance time of 0300, 0900, 1500,
and 2100 UTC. The bulletin's information is valid at the routine
Current TCA Advisories advisory times (0300, 0900, 1500 and 2100 UTC) and is not
anchored to the synoptic times.
Historical TCA Advisories
TCAs for special advisories will be issued for the same
circumstances that apply for a standard advisory.
World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and AWIPS (in

parenthesis) headers:
FKNT21-25 KNHC (MIATA ANT1-5) – Atlantic
FKPZ21-25 KNHC (MIATCAPZ1-5) – E. Pacific
FKPA21-25 PHFO (HFOTCAPA1-5) – C. Pacific
29
10 VOLCANIC ASH ADVISORY PRODUCTS
There are two Volcanic Ash Advisory Centers (VAAC) in the United States operating within NOAA.
They are located in Washington, DC, and Anchrodge, Alaska.
VOLCANIC ASH ADVISORIES
Advisories are issued when an ash cloud is observed. Ash

dispersion and numerical models are used to forecast a path and
evolution of the ash cloud.
Washington DC VAAC
Anchorage VAAC
30
11 Appendix A: Acronyms and Abbreviations

For a complete list of FAA approved acronyms, please refer to Chapter 2 of FAA
Contractions Manual.
Acronym - Term Purpose/Area of Responsibility
AAWU - Alaska Aviation NWS aviation weather unit in Alaska.

Weather Unit
ADDS - Aviation Digital Text, digital, and graphical forecasts, analysis and
Data Service observations of aviation related weather variables.
AFD - Aviation Forecast Discussion of forecast conditions that may affect TAFs and
Discussion aviation issued by NWS WFO offices for their areas.
AIRMET - AIRman’s An AIRMET is a concise description of the occurrence or

METeorological expected occurrence of specified en route weather phenomena
Information which may affect the safety of aircraft operations, but at
intensities lower than those which require the issuance of a
SIGMET.
AIRMETs are intended to inform all pilots, but especially

Visual Flight Rules pilots and operators of sensitive aircraft,
of potentially hazardous weather phenomena. Freezing level
information is included.
AIRMETs are issued by the AWC and AAWU as soon as is

practical to alert operators and aircrews of hazardous en route
conditions.
AIREP - Aircraft Report A routine, often automated report of in-flight weather

conditions, such as wind and temperature.
ARTCC - Air Route Provides air traffic control service to aircraft operating on IFR
Traffic Control Center flight plans within controlled airspace, principally during the
(ARTCC), also called en route phase. When equipment capabilities and controller
"Center") workload permit, ARTCC may provide advisory/assistance
services to VFR aircraft. There are 21 ARTCCs in CONUS
31
ATCSCC - Air Traffic The air traffic tactical operations facility responsible for
Control Systems monitoring and managing the flow of air traffic throughout
Command Center the NAS.
ATCT - Air Traffic A terminal facility that provides air traffic control services to
Control Tower aircraft landing or taking off at a towered airport or transiting
an adjoining Class D airspace.
AWC - Aviation Weather The AWC provides a single source for aviation warnings,
Center advisories and forecasts over the contiguous 48 states and
large portions of the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. The center
provides meteorological watch office (MWO) services issuing
Sigmets and Airmets over domestic and international U.S.
Flight Information Regions (FIRs) to provide warnings and
advisories of hazardous weather conditions to inflight aircraft.
The AWC also prepares Area Forecasts of weather for general

aviation over the contiguous United Staes. Specific
meteorological services are additionally provided for
continuous operations of the Federal Aviation
Administration’s Air Traffic Control System Command
Center (ATCSCC).
The AWC serves as a World Area Forecast Center (WAFC).

The WAFC functions includes the distribution of gridded
upper level wind and temperature forecasts, the provision of
graphical of significant aviation weather for a large portion of
the Northern Hemisphere, including volcanic ash dispersion
after a volcano erupts.
AWW - Airport Weather NWS WFO issued weather warning for impacts to ground
Warning operations at certain airports.
CIP - Current Icing AWC product for current icing SIGMETs and aircraft reports.
Product
32
CWA - Center Weather CSWU advisory product.

Advisory
CONUS - Continental The 48 contiguous US states.

United States
CWSU - Center Weather NWS weather units located in ARTCC facilities.

Service Unit
DSS - Decision Support NWS program for providing meteorological support to

Services emergency officials and decision makers.
ECFP - Extended AWC graphical representation of the forecast probability of

Convective Forecast thunderstorms. The product identifies where in the U,S,
Product thunderstorms are likely over the next 72 hours.
FAA - Federal Aviation U.S. federal agency with the powers to regulate civil aviation.
Administration
FIP - Forecast Icing AWC icing forecast product.

Product
FPT - Flight Path Tool AWC aviation weather tool.
Graphical-AIRMET - The Graphical-AIRMET (G-AIRMET), is a graphical

G-AIRMET forecast of en route weather hazards valid at discrete times no
more than 3 hours apart for a period of up to 12 hours into the
future (00, 03, 06, 09 and 12 hours). G-AIRMET is issued
based on the same criteria as AIRMET.
GFA - Graphical AWC tool for providing weather information.

Forecasts for Aviation
GTG - Graphical AWC webpage for graphical turbulence forecasts.

Turbulence Guidance
HEMS - Helicopter AWC tool designed to show weather conditions for

Emergency Medical short-distance and low-altitude flights that are common for
Services the HEMS community.
33
IFR - Instrument Flight Meteorological condition where ceilings are 500 to less than
Rules 1,000 feet above ground level and/or surface visibility is
1 mile to less than 3 miles. Areas of IFR are depicted in red
on maps.
LIFR - Low Instrument Meteorological condition where ceilings are less than 500 feet
Flight Rules above ground level and/or surface visibility is less than
1 mile. Areas of LIFR are depicted in magenta on maps.
MAG - Model Analysis NWS suite of meteorological models.

and Guidance
METAR - Meteorological A format for reporting weather information worldwide.

Terminal Air Report
MIS - Meteorological CWSU forecast product.

Impact Statement
MVFR - Marginal Visual Meteorological condition where ceilings are 1,000 to 3,000
Flight Rules feet above ground level and/or surface visibility is between
3 and 5 miles. Areas of MVFR are depicted in blue on maps.
NAS - National Airspace The common network of U.S. airspace; air navigation
System facilities, equipment and services, airports or landing areas.
NDFD - National Seamless mosaic NWS gridded forecasts of sensible weather

Forecast Digital Database elements, mainly produced by NWS WFOs.
34
NHC - National The National Hurricane Center (NHC) has been delegated
Hurricane Center overall national responsibility for providing hurricane forecast
and warning services for the general public, the public sector,
and all branches of the U.S. Government including the
Department of Defense (DOD), Department of Commerce
(DOC), and Department of Transportation (DOT).
Similar responsibilities exist under the auspices of the World

Meteorological Organization (WMO) to provide forecast and
guidance products concerning tropical cyclones for the
international community for the Atlantic, Caribbean, Gulf of
Mexico, and Eastern North Pacific region. Many facets of
data acquisition, from reconnaissance aircraft, satellites,
ships, surface and upper air stations, radar, etc. and their
analyses and interpretation, as well as interactive
communication with the user communities are involved in
this process.
NOAA - National Scientific agency within the U.S. States Department of

Oceanic and Atmospheric Commerce.
Administration
NWS - National Weather Scientific agency within NOAA tasked with providing
Service weather forecasts, warnings of hazardous weather, and other
weather-related products to organizations and the public for
the purposes of protection, safety, and general information.
PIREP - Pilot Report A report by a pilot to indicate encounters of hazardous

weather such as icing or turbulence.
35
SPC - Storm Prediction The Storm Prediction Center (SPC) is part of the National
Center Weather Service (NWS) and the National Centers for
Environmental Prediction (NCEP). Their mission is to
provide timely and accurate forecasts and watches for severe
thunderstorms and tornadoes over the contiguous United
States. The SPC also monitors heavy rain, heavy snow, and
fire weather events across the U.S. and issues specific
products for those hazards. SPC uses the most advanced
technology and scientific methods available to achieve this
goal. Their very specialized mission requires meteorologists
with a high level of expertise in convective storm forecasting,
as well as excessive precipitation, winter weather, and
conditions leading to high fire dangers.
SIGMET - Significant A SIGMET is a concise description of the occurrence or

Meteorological expected occurrence of specified en route weather phenomena
Information which is expected to affect the safety of aircraft operations.
SIGMETs are intended for dissemination to all pilots in flight
to enhance safety.
SIGMETs are issued by the AWC and AAWU as soon as is

practical to alert operators and aircrews of hazardous en route
conditions.
TAF - Terminal A forecast product issued by NWS WFO offices for local
Aerodrome Forecast airfields.
TCF - TFM Convective A high confidence graphical representation of forecasted

Forecast convection meeting specific criteria of coverage, intensity,
and echo top height.
TDS - Text Data Server Available from AWC, provides direct access with ability fo
query a large quantity of real time data.
TFM - Traffic Flow The collaborative planning of air traffic to avoid exceeding
Management airport and airspace capacity while making effective use of
available capacity.
36
TRACON - Terminal A terminal air traffic control facility that uses radar and
Radar Approach Control non-radar capabilities to provide approach control services to
Facility aircraft arriving, departing, or transiting airspace controlled
by the facility.
UTC - Coordinated The time standard used in aviation.

Universal Time
VFR - Visual Flight Meteorological condition where ceiling is greater than

Rules 3,000 feet and visibility is greater than 5 miles. Areas of VFR
are depicted in green on maps.
WAFS - World Area WAFS provides the worldwide aviation community with
Forecast Systems operational meteorological forecasts and information about
meteorological phenomena required for flight planning and
safe, economic, and efficient air navigation.
WFO - NWS Weather A local NWS office that issues forecasts and warnings for its
Forecast Office specific area of responsibility. There are 122 WFOs.
WMO - World Agency within the United Nations responsible for developing
Meteorological meteorological standards.
Organization
WPC - Weather The Weather Prediction Center (WPC) interprets advanced

Prediction Center numerical weather predictions in the preparation of forecast
guidance products out to 10 days. These products along with
the numerical predictions and their derivatives form the basis
of forecasts issued by the field forecast offices of the NWS,
other governmental offices and private weather services to the
general public and other users of meteorological information.
They also monitor the operations of communications
computers and large scale computers and alerts users of NMC
products of status or problems.
37
12 Appendix B: Products and Associated Links

12.1 Pre-Flight Products
AVIATION SURFACE AND CLOUD FORECAST GRAPHICS https://aviationweather.gov/gfa/plot
UPPER AIR FORECASTS https://mag.ncep.noaa.gov/
CONVECTIVE OUTLOOK https://www.spc.noaa.gov/products/outlook/
NATIONAL DIGITAL FORECAST DATABASE https://digital.weather.gov/
TROPICAL WX OUTLOOK https://www.nhc.noaa.gov/gtwo.php?basin=atlc&fdays=5
SURFACE PROG CHARTS https://aviationweather.gov/progchart/sfc
WINDS/TEMPS ALOFT https://aviationweather.gov/windtemp
FREEZING LEVEL FORECAST https://aviationweather.gov/icing/frzlvl
TAF FORECASTS https://aviationweather.gov/taf/
NWS WFO DISCUSSIONS https://aviationweather.gov/fcstdisc
EXTENDED TCF https://aviationweather.gov/ecfp
12.2 Day of Departure
LOW LEVEL SIG WEATHER https://aviationweather.gov/progchart/low
CONVECTIVE PRODUCTS https://aviationweather.gov/convection
TRAFFIC FLOW MANAGEMENT CONVECTIVE FORECAST https://aviationweather.gov/tcf
TURBULENCE PRODUCTS https://aviationweather.gov/turbulence
ICING PRODUCTS https://aviationweather.gov/icing
SIGMETS https://aviationweather.gov/sigmet
G- AIRMETS https://aviationweather.gov/gairmet
CWSU ADVISORIES https://aviationweather.gov/gairmet
38
12.3 En Route
AIRCRAFT REPORTS (PIREPS) https://www.aviationweather.gov/airep
METARs https://www.aviationweather.gov/metar
RADAR IMAGERY https://www.aviationweather.gov/radar
SATELLITE IMAGERY https://www.aviationweather.gov/satellite
12.4 Aviation Weather Tools
GRAPHICAL FORECASTS FOR AVIATION TOOL https://www.aviationweather.gov/gfa
FLIGHT PATH TOOL https://www.aviationweather.gov/flightpath
HELICOPTER EMERGENCY MEDICAL SERVICES (HEMS) TOOL https://aviationweather.gov/hemst
TEXT DATA SERVER (TDS) https://aviationweather.gov/dataserver
FAA ADVISORY CIRCULAR PILOT’S GUIDE TO A PREFLIGHT BRIEFING

https://www.faa.gov/documentLibrary/media/Advisory_Circular/AC_91-92.pdf
12.5 Decision Support Tools
TRAFFIC FLOW MANAGEMENT PORTAL https://aviationweather.gov/trafficflowmgmt/portal
IMPACTS TAF BOARD https://aviationweather.gov/taf/board
WINTER WEATHER DASHBOARD https://aviationweather.gov/decisionsupport/winterdashboard
TFM GATE FORECASTS https://aviationweather.gov/trafficflowmgmt/gate
AWC STANDARD BRIEFING WEBPAGE https://aviationweather.gov/briefing
AIRPORT WEATHER WARNINGS (AWW)

https://forecast.weather.gov/product_sites.php?site=NWS&product=AWW
12.6 Alaska / Hawai’i Products
ALASKA AVIATION WEATHER UNIT (AAWU) WEBPAGE https://www.weather.gov/aawu/
ALASKA AVIATION WEATHER CAMERAS https://avcams.faa.gov/
39
HAWAI’I AVIATION PRODUCTS https://avcams.faa.gov/
12.7 International Products
WORLD AREA FORECAST SYSTEM DISPLAY https://aviationweather.gov/wafs
INTERNATIONAL FLIGHT FOLDER PROGRAM https://aviationweather.gov/flightfolder
GRAPHICAL FORECASTS FOR AVIATION TOOL https://aviationweather.gov/gfa
HIGH LEVEL SIG WEATHER https://aviationweather.gov/progchart/low
MID LEVEL SIG WEATHER FOR THE NORTH ATLANTIC https://aviationweather.gov/progchart/mid
VOLCANIC ASH ADVISORIES https://www.ssd.noaa.gov/VAAC/messages.html
12.8 Tropical Products
TROPICAL CYCLONE ICAO AVIATION ADVISORY

https://forecast.weather.gov/product_sites.php?site=NWS&product=PWS
12.9 Volcanic Ash Advisory Products
VOLCANIC ASH ADVISORIES https://www.ssd.noaa.gov/VAAC/messages.html
40

A Pilots Guide To Aviation Weather Services

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A Pilots Guide To Aviation Weather Services

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A Pilot's Guide to Aviation Weather Services

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)

Version Draft Date Summary of Changes

1.06 12/21/2021 Added new link to section 10.4

Added a FAA training link to AWC

PURPOSE AND SCOPE 4

AVIATION WEATHER TOOLS 15

DECISION SUPPORT TOOLS 17

NWS Aviation Webpages 22

ALASKA / HAWAI’I PRODUCTS 25

VOLCANIC ASH ADVISORY PRODUCTS 30

Appendix A: Acronyms and Abbreviations 31

Appendix B: Products and Associated Links 38

1 PURPOSE AND SCOPE

Info on SPC Products

Info on the NDFD

Info on the NHC

Info on the Surface Prog Chart

WINDS/TEMPS ALOFT The Winds/Temps page provides 2D graphics of winds and

Info on Winds/Temp Aloft Page

TAF FORECASTS A Terminal Aerodrome Forecast (TAF) is the international standard

How to interpret a TAF Forecast

Extended TCF Product

GFA Help Page

Short GFA tutorial video

NWS Product Description

Low Level SigWX Chart Help

TCF Product Description

TURBULENCE PRODUCTS The Turbulence page depicts Graphical Turbulence Guidance

Turbulence Help Page

Tutorial on using the GTG

Icing Help Page

Using the CIP/FIP pages

How to Properly Use an Icing

SIGMETS A U.S. SIGMET advises of weather, other than convective activity,

SIGMET Display Help

G- AIRMETS A G-AIRMET is a graphical advisory of weather that may be

The aviation hazards depicted in the G-AIRMET are Turbulence,

G-AIRMET Display Help

The Center Weather Advisory (CWA) is valid for up to two hours

The Meteorological Impact Statement (MIS) is an unscheduled flow

AIRCRAFT REPORTS (PIREPS) An Aircraft Report is a report of actual weather conditions

An AIREP is a routine, often automated report of in-flight weather

A PIREP is a pilot report detailing encounters of hazardous weather

Aircraft Report Plot Help

Aircraft Report Data Help

METARs Weather stations worldwide report conditions hourly using the

Impacts METAR Board

METAR Help Overview

Radar Help Overview

Images are provided for three of the different wavelength sensors on

Satellite Help Overview

Satellite Image Types

5 AVIATION WEATHER TOOLS

GFA Help Page

Short GFA tutorial video

NWS Product Description

Current data is collected every five minutes and is available here in

6 DECISION SUPPORT TOOLS