aviation weather center focused on the safety of the flying public

AVIATION WEATHER CENTERFOCUSED ON THE SAFETY OF

THE FLYING PUBLIC

American Meteorological Society

January 14-18,2001

Albuquerque, New Mexico

AWC HISTORICAL BACKGROUND

1939 - Weather Bureau begins an expansion of aviation services

Area Forecast and 30 terminal forecasts issued from MKC

1944 - Flight Advisory Weather Service (FAWS) established

1978 - Convective SIGMET unit established within NSSFC

1982 - National Aviation Weather Advisory Unit (NAWAU)

1995 - Aviation Weather Center (AWC) established

MISSION STATEMENT

to apply the NWS mission...Protection of Life and Property

...to the National Airspace System (NAS)

for the Aviation Weather Center

ECONOMIC - Support the aviation industry with ADVANTAGE meteorological information to

economically utilize international airspace

INTERNATIONAL - Implement the agreements of the ICAO to COMMITMENTS support international aviation

SAFETY - Support the mission of the FAA to safely operate the NAS in an environment of weather hazards

CRITICAL ELEMENTS FOR AVIATION WEATHER FORECASTING

• Observations – Surface– Upper Air– PIREPS

• Numerical Forecasts – NCEP/EMC & NCO• Communications• Display

– National Focus– International Scale

• Product Generation

OPERATIONS BRANCH

Vision: Transition to future enroute forecasting activities and products.Current formats may be sustained until customers modernize

Current Forecaster Role

Future Forecaster RoleNear Term

• Graphic Products

• Enhanced Global SIGWX

Long Term

• Gridded Products

• Gridded TAF Guidance

Major Efforts• Training of 36 forecasters in advanced systems,

forecast generation techniques and new science

• Transition to Team Forecast Process

• Alphanumeric messages - turbulence, icing, convection, ceiling/visibility::SIGMETs, Convective SIGMETs, AIRMETs, Area Forecasts

• Graphic depiction of SIGWX - fronts, jets, convection, freezing levels, etc:Global High Level SIGWX forecasts, Low Level SIGWX forecasts

The Forecast Area at AWC

7X24 Surveillance

CCFP (Summer 98, 99, 2000)

Global Graphics

Area Forecasts

DOMESTIC PROGRAM

3 Forecasters issue Area Forecasts, AIRMETs, SIGMETs

Product List Domestic (CONUS)

Area Forecast

AIRMETs/SIGMETs: icing, turbulence, IFR, volcanic

ash

Convective SIGMETs - thunderstorms (1hr.)

New: CCFP - thunderstorms outlook (2/4/6 hrs)

Low Level SIGWX