Technical Details Relating to Weather Products and Aviation Weather Tools

Types of Aviation Weather Information

This handbook groups aviation weather information into five types:

Observations

Observations are raw weather data collected automatically by sensor(s), manually by trained weather observers, or by a combination of both. The observations can either be in situ (i.e., surface or airborne) or remote (e.g., weather radar, satellite, and lightning).

Analysis

Analysis is the representation of an atmospheric variable (e.g., temperature, pressure) derived from a finite set of irregularly distributed observations onto a regular grid. Analyses of weather information are an enhanced depiction and/or interpretation of observed weather data.

Advisories

Aviation weather advisories, including warnings and alerts, described in this handbook are primarily produced by the NWS. They inform the pilot and/or operator about aviation weather that may be a safety of flight risk, or that may need mitigation or avoidance depending on the aircraft’s and/or pilot’s certification, current operating limits, or capabilities.

Forecasts

Forecasts are the predictions of the development and/or movement of weather phenomena based on meteorological observations and various mathematical models. This handbook describes the many forecasts primarily produced by the NWS that are either specific to aviation or are public products of interest to aviation users.

Aviation Weather Tools

Aviation weather tools are web-based applications that incorporate multiple weather products into a web-based interactive display.