Weather Information; Aviation Weather Forecasts

What are terminal aerodome forecasts?

A concise statement of the expected meteorological conditions significant to aviation for a specified time period within 5 statute miles of the center of the airport’s runway complex (terminal).

What are the three types of Terminal Aerodome Forecasts?

1. Routine, or “normal,“ TAF.

2. Amended Forecast (TAF AMD).

3. Corrected Forecast (TAF COR).

Do Terminal Aerodome Forecasts use the same weather codes found in METAR reports?

Yes/True.

The four types of in-flight aviation weather advisories.

1. SIGMET

2. Convective SIGMET

3. AIRMET

4. Center Weather Advisory

What does a Convective SIGMET cover?

• Severe or greater turbulence

• Severe icing

• Low-level wind shear

What are the different types of AIRMETs?

• AIRMET Sierra
  IFR conditions and/or extensive mountain obscurations.

• AIRMET Tango
  Moderate turbulence, sustained surface wings of 30 kts or greater, and/or non-convective low-level wind shear.

• AIRMET Zulu
  Moderate icing and provides freezing level heights.

What are Center Weather Advisories?

A warning to anticipate and avoid adverse weather conditions in the en route and terminal environments.

How long are Center Weather Advisories valid for?

Maximum of 2 hours.

A Center Weather Advisory must be reissued if the conditions will persist for more than 2 hours.

False. If conditions are expected to continue beyond the 2-hour valid period, a statement will be included in the Center Weather Advisory.

A Center Weather Advisory is not a good resource for pre-flight planning.

Center Weather Advisories reflect current conditions expected at the time of issuance. While some CWAs may be issued for conditions expected within the next two hours, they should not be used for weather outlook purposes. They are primarily for real-time, en route weather updates.