aero 2010 notes unit 3

Aviation Weather Service Program

A joint effort of NOAA, FAA, DOD, and commerce aviation weather to provide weather data, forecasts, and warnings for the aviation community.

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)

An agency of the Department of Commerce that conducts research, gathers data, and applies knowledge to provide science and service related to oceans, atmosphere, space, and Sun.

National Weather Service (NWS)

Provides weather data, forecasts, and warnings for the United States, forming a national information database and infrastructure.

Aviation Weather Center (AWC)

Issues aviation weather forecasts and provides textual, digital, and graphical forecasts, analyses, and observations of aviation-related weather variables.

Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)

Provides a safe, secure, and efficient airspace system and is responsible for producing and managing aviation weather reports and forecasts.

ATC

Air Traffic Control's primary responsibility is to maintain safety and efficiency in the National Airspace System (NAS) and can provide weather updates for aircraft.

Flight Service

Delivers flight services to pilots, including preflight weather briefings, flight planning, and in-flight advisories.

Weather Briefing

Gathering weather information before a flight, including a complete weather picture, adverse conditions, VFR restrictions, and non-weather items like NOTAMs and ATC delays.

Graphical Forecasts for Aviation (GFA) Tool

Web-based displays that provide aviation weather information for flights in the contiguous states.

Flight Information Service - Broadcast (FIS-B)

Regulatory compliant briefing through online weather resources that can be used with the Flight Information Service-Broadcast (FIS-B) products.

Weather Radar

Utilizes radio waves to detect and display precipitation, with enhancements for more precision.

Doppler Radar

Developed by the National Weather Service, uses radio waves to detect reflective mass in the atmosphere, including precipitation, bugs, and ground interference.

Mountain Weather

Includes mountain winds, gravity waves, Kelvin-Helmholtz (K-H) waves, CAT, vertically propagated mountain waves, wave breaking, wave jump, trapped lee waves, cloud formation, and rotors.

Tropical Weather

Weather patterns in the Tropics, including the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ), trade winds, subtropical high-pressure belts, and monsoon regions.

Continental Weather

Weather patterns over land, including the influence of subtropical high-pressure belts, stability of air, inversion, and effects of mid-latitude circulation.

Inversion

The phenomenon where the temperature increases with altitude, leading to stable atmospheric conditions.

Convection

The process by which heat is transferred through the movement of fluid (in this case, air).

Subtropical high-pressure area

A region of high atmospheric pressure located in the subtropics.

Vegetation

Plants and other forms of plant life.

Arid

Having little or no rainfall; very dry.

Low ceiling

A condition where clouds or fog are present at a low altitude, reducing visibility for aircraft.

West coast

The coastal areas on the western side of a continent.

East coast

The coastal areas on the eastern side of a continent.

Instability

A condition where the atmosphere is prone to rapid changes and the development of severe weather.

Open sea

The vast expanse of ocean away from the coastlines.

VFR flight

Visual Flight Rules, a set of regulations that allow pilots to navigate and fly based on visual references.

Island

A landmass surrounded by water.

Temperature inversion

A deviation from the normal decrease in temperature with altitude, where the temperature increases instead.

ITCZ

Intercontinental Convergence Zone, a band of clouds and showers encircling the Earth near the Equator.

Monsoon

A seasonal wind system characterized by a shift in wind direction and the associated weather patterns.

Transitory systems

Weather phenomena that are not part of the prevailing circulations but can significantly impact weather conditions.

TUTT

Tropical Upper Tropospheric Trough, a trough of low pressure in the upper levels of the atmosphere in the tropics.

Tropical cyclone

A general term for any low-pressure system that forms over tropical oceans, characterized by strong winds and heavy rainfall.

Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale

A scale used to classify hurricanes based on their wind speeds and potential for damage.

Fog

A visible aggregation of minute water droplets that reduces visibility near the Earth's surface.

Cloud

A visible mass of condensed water vapor or ice crystals in the atmosphere.

Dewpoint

The temperature at which air becomes saturated and condensation occurs.

Radiation fog

Fog that forms due to the cooling of the air near the Earth's surface during nighttime.

Advection fog

Fog that forms when moist air moves over a colder surface and is cooled below its dewpoint.

Upslope fog

Fog that forms as moist air is forced to rise up sloping terrain and cools to its dewpoint.

Frontal fog

Fog that forms when warm, moist air is lifted over a front and saturates the colder air below.

Steam fog

Fog that forms when very cold air moves over relatively warm water, causing moisture to evaporate and condense.

Freezing fog

Fog that occurs when supercooled water droplets freeze upon contact with exposed surfaces at or below freezing temperatures.

Mist

A visible aggregate of minute water droplets or ice crystals that reduces visibility, but to a lesser extent than fog.

Haze

A suspension of extremely small particles in the air that scatters light and reduces visibility.

Smoke

A suspension of small particles produced by combustion, often from fires or industrial burning.

Precipitation

Water particles, in either liquid or solid form, that fall from the atmosphere and reach the ground.

Precipitation

Snow, rain, and drizzle are types of precipitation that occur in different weather conditions.

Blowing Snow

Snow lifted from the surface by the wind to a height of 6 ft or more, reducing visibility to less than 7 sm (11 km).

Dust Storm

Severe weather condition characterized by strong winds and dust-filled air over an extensive area.

Sandstorm

Particles of sand carried aloft by a strong wind, mostly confined to the lowest 10 ft (3.5 m) above the ground.

Haboob

Dust or sandstorm formed by cold downdrafts from a thunderstorm lifting dust and sand into the air.

Volcanic Ash

Fine particles of rock powder originating from a volcano and remaining suspended in the atmosphere for long periods.

Arctic Weather

Weather conditions applicable to regions within 66.5°N latitude, including Alaska, Russia, and other northern regions.

Temperature

Milder winters at coastlines, warm summers in the interiors, and abundant cold weather.

The Auroras

Colorful light show in the sky caused by the interaction of particles from the Sun with gases in our atmosphere.

Thunderstorms

Weather phenomena characterized by precipitation, strong downdrafts, and various hazards.

Single Cell Thunderstorm

Thunderstorm consisting of only one cell, often developing on warm and humid summer days.

Multi Cell Thunderstorm

Cluster of cells at various stages of their life cycle, with new cells forming as old ones mature.

Supercell Thunderstorm

Dangerous, long-lived storm with a rotating updraft that produces severe weather and can persist for many hours.

TS Movement

Storm motion due to individual cells moving with the average wind (advection) and cell dissipation/new cell development (propagation).

TS Hazards

Hazards associated with thunderstorms, including low visibility, lightning, adverse winds, turbulence, hail, and tornadoes.

Lightning

Visible electrical discharge produced by a thunderstorm, capable of damaging or disabling aircraft.

Downburst (Microburst)

Intense downdrafts in thunderstorms that create strong, damaging winds and wind shear.

Microbursts

Smaller, shorter-lived downbursts with a horizontal diameter of less than 2.5 mi and a nominal depth of 1,000 ft.

Tornadoes

Violently rotating columns of air in contact with the ground, often visible as funnel clouds.

Tornado Generators

Tornadoes occur with isolated and squall line thunderstorms, with supercell thunderstorms being responsible for the majority.

Water Ingestion

Limit on the amount of water turbine engines can ingest, high water concentrations in severe thunderstorms can cause engine failure.