10 -41

iation
• Meteorological Services for Av
ICAOAnnex 3

WMO World Met Organisation

& is an agency of the UN.
- It was founded on 23 "-:1ar 1950
is divided into 6 regions.
- It has 193 member nations and n in establishing the
- It facilitates worldwide cooperatio WMO
exchange of weather info.
d.
- Its HQ is in Geneva, Switzerlan
e
WAFC World Area Forecast Centr
It pro vid es op~ rationa l Me t fore casts required for flight planning and
- igation.
safe, economic and efficient air nav y,
upper winds, temperature, humidit
- It prepares a global forecast of
icing, turbulence & Cs clouds.
FL of the tropopause, max winds,
& has 19 regional offices, including
- Its HQ is in London & Washington
New Delhi.
ent
IMO Indian Meteorology Departm
istry of Earth Sciences.
- It is an agency under the Min
offices, in Kolkata,
- It has 6 regional meteorological i & Nagpur.
Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Guwahat • 1Mo
MWO Met Watch Office Ch ennai.
Kolkata, Delhi, Mumbai &
- They are present at 4 locations:
It facilitates the me teo rology nee ds of an FIR. They issue SIGMETs.
-
AMO Aerodrome Met Office
in India, at major International and
- They are present at 14 locations
national aerodromes. ,
watch & issue Met forecasts, TAF
- They maintain a 24-hr weather
ATIS, radar and satellite pictures.
associated AMSs.
- They also cover forecasts for its
for an FPL Met briefing is 3 hrs for
- Minimum prior notice to be given flights.
domestic & 12 hrs for international
AMS Aeronautical Met Station I
in India.
- They are present at 54 locations rs I
ervations & during their watch hou
- They take current weather obs
ained from its associated AMO.
provide aeronautical forecasts obt
r- They need 18 - 24 hrs prior notice
.
for a flight plan Met briefing.

Meteorological Briefing
- They are issued for sch edu led flights, 3 hrs prior to departure.
en, an oral briefing is provided.
- When adequate notice is not giv ion of each, in subsequent pages)
nat
- Documentation includes: (expla
ds & tropopause height if relevant.
- METAR, TAF, SPECI, upper win hts up to 500 nm, & Form-T4
flig
- RO FOR (Form-T3) is given for is given if flight dist > 500 nm.
(pictorial depiction of route we er)
ath
for International flights.
- WAFC report & SIGWX is issued estic flights.
- National SIGWX is issued for dom
0600 1200 1800 UTC
Pilot Balloons released at: 0000 UTC
0 0830 1130 1430 1730 2030 2330 C
Surface Observations at 0230 053 0 UT
ernational: 0000 0600 1200 180
Synoptic Observation Hours Int
ian Met Office: 0300, 1200 UTC
Synoptic Observation Hours Ind
C,C:) 10 - 42

Meteorological Reports ~~ nl!l

METAR Met Aviation Report / Avlati~n Routine W~ather Report ~-.
_ It is issued every half hour and Is appended with a TREND forecast.
- Issued by a Class 1/2/3 Met Officer.
•
METAR VOYK Met report Identifier for Yelahanka.
2110202 Issued at the 21st day of the month, at 1020 UTC.
23006KT Surface winds 230° (True),.4 - B_kts (me~n speed over 10 min).
VRB03 Surface winds (variable wmds 1f speed 1s < 3 kts ).
00000KT Surface winds are calm ( < 1 kts ).
240P99KT Surface winds are 240 degrees, 1~O kts.
26012G25 Surface winds ~re 26~/12 kts gustmg ~5 kts. 0
.... 200V300 Wind direction Is varymg between 200 and 300 .
~ 1400NW300S Prevailing visibility in NW direction is 1400 m {for at least ½
~ horizon) & lowest visibility is towards South, 300 m.
a:: 9999 Visibility is more than 10 km.
~ W002 Vertical visibility is 200 ft.
~ R27/P1500 RVR for runway 27, Prevailing RVR is 1500 m.
'U': Increasing 'D': Decreasing 'N': No change
r
.!
R27/M0150 150 m is minimum instrument can measure.
RVR 1500 - 2000 mis reported at RMK.
: +SHRA Weather SHRA, + Heavy, - Light, No-sign means Moderate.
FEW020 SCT080 Few cloud at 2000', scattered clouds at 8000'.
34/27 Temperature 34 °C (33.5°C-34.4°C) ' Dew-point 27°C.
M34/27 Temperature minus (-) 34°C, Dew-point 27°C.
Q1004 QNH 1004 (1004.0 - 1004.9). Nearest lower figure.
A2992 QNH 29.92 inches.
RERA/RETS Recent Rain/Recent TS (in past 1 hr, or since last METAR).
WSRWY27 Wind shear warning for runway 27, take off & landing.
RMK Remarks, if any
SPECI Special Report I Aviation Selected Special Weather Report
- It is issued whenever there is a sudden deterioration or improvement
in weather. Changed conditions should last a minimum of 10 minutes
- SPECI is also app~nded with a TREND, uses same codes as METAR.
It is issued when:
- Mean wind speed change> 10 kts (Gusts).
Change in wind direction > 60° & spd before/after change 1O kts.
- Visibility/RVR value passing through 800 m, 1500 m, 3000 m.
OnseUchange of intensity of FZ, FZFG, OS, SS, TS.
- Clouds below 450 m, t to BKN/OVC, or back to SKC/FEW/SCT.
- Cloud BKN or OVC at 30 m, 60 m, 150 m, 300 m 450 m.
- Sky OBC & vertical visibility changes 30m, 60m, 150m or 300m.
- Surface temperature has increased 2°c from the last observation.
TREND: It is a short-range landing forecast valid for 2 hrs appended to
a
a METAR & SPECI. It is issued only by Class-1 Met Officer
- Used o_nly for changes in visibility, surface winds, weather & clouds.
- PROB 1s used in a TAF, but is not used in TREND .
e
..... r;::::7.:----::---.:__..-__:...:..:_:..:.::.:_:~~=~--------,
TREND
'- FM
Trend Identifier
From
J:! TL Till
~ ~~~~g 2123 Gradual_permanent <:hange ~rom 2100 until 2300.
~ GRADU ~~r a penod < 1hr, or if recurnng < 50% of forecast period .
.!! RAPID Change at constant _ra!e throughout forecast period.
ange expected within½ hr
eQ. ~ilR Cha~ge_s are expected frequently.
: G No significant change expected in next in 2 hrs.
GCD 10-43

AIREP Air Report: It is a report of aircraft operational information (ETA &

endurance) & current meteorological information, by an aircraft in flight.
- Automated observations are sent out every 15 mins by a data link,
or is passed on RT manually every 30 min during climb & en-route.
- Aircraft exempted from passing AIREP: Non-RNAV aircraft, aircraft
with flight altitude < 5000' or if the flight time is < 2 hrs.
(See also : RTR (A) > RT Phraseology > A/REP)
AIREP SPECIAL: It is reported by any ale which encounters SPECI criteria:
Severe TS, icing, turbulence, line squall, DS/SS or volcanic ash.
CAVOK (Clouds and Visibility OK): It is reported when:
- No cloud below 5,000' or MSA/aerodrome elev, whichever is higher
- No thunderstorms, shallow fog or dust/sand storm
- No precipitations, Ca clouds present
- Visibility is 10 km or more
ii
\:J

SIGMET: It is significant en-route weather at all FL, for an aircraft in flight.

- It is issued only when there is a presence of active thunderstorms,
hail, icing, mountain wave, line squall, dust/sand storm or cyclones.
- Issued by 4 MWOs, Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkatta, Chennai for their FIRs.
- They are issued every 3 hrs, with a validity of not more than 4 hrs.
- For volcanic ash or TRS, they are issued 12 hrs before its occurrence
and is updated every 6 hrs.
- They are transmitted in abbreviated plain language.
,... VABB SIGMET 4 Mumbai SIGMET sequence 4
~ VALID 201200/201600. Valid from 20th 1200 hrs to 1600 hrs
.e SEV MTW VSP 600FPM Severe mountain wave, vertical speed 600
t-. SEV FRQ TS FCST Severe Frequent TS forecasted
~ SOFA LINE N25E67 South of Line (co-ordinates)
'w TS OBS AT 1150 UTC TS observed at 1150 UTC
-Cl) MOVE E INTSF Moving east, intensifying
a, OS SS SQL HVYGR Dust/Sand storm squall heavy hail
Weakening
E WKN
~ STNR Stationary
NC No change

SIGMET SST: SIGMET for supersonic aircraft.

AIRMET: AIRMET is SIGMET for low-level flights, issued by MWO.
VOLMET: It is a continuous voice broadcast of weather information
(TAF, METAR, SPECI, SIGMET) on an HF fq, for an aircraft in flight.
- 8 VOLMET stations exist worldwide. India has 2 - Mumbai and
Kolkata. They transmit every half hour on 11387, 6676 & 2965 MHz.
- D-VOLMET: VOLMET on data link.
Weather Warnings
Aerodrome Warning: Warning issued in anticipation of bad weather at
an aerodrome, affecting the safety of aircraft in the air or on ground.
- It is issued for SHRA, TS, OS, SS, TC, Tsunami, etc., or if wind
speed exceeds·> 3.0 kts, or if wind direction changes by 45°.
- It is issued for helicopters & gliders if wind speed exceeds 17 kts.
- It is valid for 4 hrs.
CMR: Cautionary Meteorological Report.
Wind Shear Warning: They are issued by AMOs.
- Wind shear is reported if there is a change in wind speed > 25 kts
within 500', > 40 kts within 1000', or > 50 kts within 1500'.
- Low-level wind shear: Wind shear 1500' & below, on takeoff/approach.
C,(i) 10- 44
t •
~:r ,c:~ d associated AMSs. ~ • •
Meteorological Forecasts
TAF Te~minal/~iverti;f Jb~ ~~~ ::i~
ry 3 hrs. TAF that is valid for
: +Aiyt~~! i~~~rid for g hrs is issuedstevf! g 000O UTC.
12 - 30 hrs is issued every 6 hrs, artin
.
- TAFs use the same codes as ME.TAR . . .
- No TREND is appendedwea to a TAF 1n a TAF.
ther or QNH Is me ntio ned
No temperature, recent
hanka.
TAF VOYK Terminal Aerodrome Forecast for Yela
TAF AMO Amended TAF. 0 hrs UTC.
1021002 Issued on 10th day of the month, at 210 0000 hrs - 0900 hrs
110009 Valid from 11th day of the month, from th 0600 hrs
1200/1306 Valid from 12th day 00~0 hr~ to 13 day < 3 kts
Surface winds are variable 1f spe ed
.... VRB03
E 2500BR Visibility 2500 m in mist
.E W0 03 Ver tical Visibility is 300 ft is not appropriate)
LL NSC No significant clouds (If CAVOK or SKC
~ FEW 040 Few clouds at 4000' cast is 30%
-2 PROB30 Probability of occurrence of 'T~MPO' foreUTC
r TEMPO 0709 Temporarily from 070 /Mist.
1500RA/BR Visibility 1500 m in Rain
0 hrs _unt rl 090 0 hrs
ca forecast.
Cl> FM131200 From 13th day 1200 hrs onwards, new nge than FM.
More grad ual cha
BECMG 0809 From 0800 - 0900 hrs. visibility 6000 m.
0 Sur face wind 160 /15 kts,
16015KT 600 th to 18th 1200 hrs.
1809/1812 Change likely occur from 18 0900 hrs UTC.
TX42/1 OZ Temperature Max 42° at time 1000 hrs
UTC.
TN19/23Z Temperature Min 19° at time 2300 hrs
ts during pre-flight Met briefing.
ROFOR Route Forecast: Issued for fligh nm.
- Form T3: Issued if route distance < 500ther) + T10: if route > 500 nm.
- Form T4 (pictorial depiction of route wea
-;; ROFOR Route Forecast identifier
E 0603002 Issued 6th day of the month at 0300 UTC
J2 060612 Valid from 6th 0600 until 1200 hrs
a:: VECC VILK Route: Calcutta to Lucknow
f 2AC100 (2code) Alto Cumulus at FL 100
o 4Cl 300 (4code) Cirrus at FL300
winds 270/15
~ 403028 27015 (4code Wind&Temp) At 3000' temp 28° 00', 6000' thick
CAT at 330
-a 523306 (5code Turb 2-moderate) Mod
00', 9000' thick
i 631209 (6code Icing 3-Light) Light Icing at 120 at FL 180
Cl> 7///180 (?code Freezing Level) Freezing level

ARFOR Area Forecast

area, on demand.
- It is a forecast issued for a specifieded form.
- It is issued in tabular form or in cod ce, icing,
- !t contains upperopawinds, temperature, freezing level, turbulenetc.
use height, maximum-win ds, wind she ar
.... Jet stream, trop ~-------- ----~-----
---,
c a r - . = - : : -Area forecast issued by Yelahanka
E ARFOR VOYK Issued on 9th day of the month ' at 140
0 UTC
J2 091400
~ AREA FCST UP TO FL460
0000 hrs to 11th day 0000 hrs
LL VALID 1000/1100 Valid from 10th day
ates of area
~ FOR AREA 28N62E 30N65E Coordin at FL 100
2AC100 2 Oct a Alto Cum ulus
.! ical cyclone at coordinates
r
~
TC CENTRED AT 23N80E AT 030
MOVE NW 20KTS INTSF Move NW,
0 UTC - Trop
speed 20 kts, Intensifying

of 100 nm around the aerodrome.

Local ~orec_ast: Forecast for a radius look for further 6 hours.
: It !S yalld for 8_ hrs, and gives an0,out & 1330 UTC.
It 1s issued 3 times a day at 213 0530
 10-45

G Satellite Picture Interpretation

Visible Image •• @ •.
- They indicate amount of sunlight reflected by clouds/earth surface.
- Cloud-free areas will typically be dark, clouds/snow appear bright.
In a visible satellite image, thicker clouds appear brighter than thin-
ner clouds. However, it is difficult to distinguish between low & high-
level clouds. For this, IR images are used.
- Visible images can not be taken during nighttime.
IR Image
- They represent the IR radiation or temperature (wavelength 10.5 µm
- 12.5 µm), emitted by the clouds/earth surface.
- In an IR picture, warmer objects appear darker than colder objects.
- Cloud-free areas will typically be dark, but also very low clouds and
fog may appear dark.
- High clouds are brighter than low clouds due to their low temperature.
- Thick prominent white spots on IR images are Cs clouds because of
their very low cloud top temperature.
Water Vapour Image
- They represent water vapour content in the mid & upper atmosphere.
- They are useful for identifying regions of moist &dry air.
- White regions represent more moisture than dark regions.
-tow to interpret Visible & Infrared images of the same place.
Visible Image Infrared Image

1. Sea appears dark because it 5. Hot ground appears dark. .

absorbs sunlight. . 6. Sea, being colder appear bright. .
2. Land appear bright because It 7. Mountains being colder appear bright. Id
reflects sunlight. 8. Clouds are bright, meaning they are co ,
and hence high clouds. These clouds are
3. Forests appear dark. not easily seen in the visible image on
4. Faint clouds. the left, thus they are thin clouds & are
probably high cirrus.
············································........................................................................................................ -

3. Thick white clouds on visi_bt l_e imatge (1h) arednort

1. Thick layer of white clo~ds seen. seen in IR, which means 1. Is no muc co1 e
2. Thin strip of white clou s are seen than the adjacent sea. This means they are low
clouds, probably stratus or ev~~ fog_. .
4. Thin strip of white clo~ds on v1s1ble !mage (2) Is
seen in IR too, indicating they are high clouds.
 10-46

e Synoptic Chart .
- It is a pictorial depiction that summanses the weather
conditions over a wide area .
. ,)V-1
• ·,.✓: 987
icted trac
OW centr

J.b28

-./rt·-•.
.I
, • I
·, I .
.. 02 • I • I
. ti . I • I
I • I I I
I I # # I I I I
I
Low Wind Isobars Occluded Cold Warm Local Station High QNH Stationary
Pressure Speed Front Front Front Pressure Model Pressure
. Front
SYNOPTIC CHART

e SIGWX (Significant Weather) chart

- It is a pictorial depiction of significant weather in the area.
For international flights:
- WAFC issues SIGWX, made 4 times a day, valid > 12 hrs.
- It contains a forecast for 250 hPa level, winds & temperature chart.
For domestic flights:
- Chennai MWO issues SIGWX by compiling data from Mumbai,
Kolkata & Delhi MWO. It is made 4 times a day, valid for> 24 hr.
- For low-level flights, winds at 2000', 5000' & 10000' are given.
- Medium level cover FL100-FL250, High level cover FL250-FL630.

I
I
Troti~us e Vol~nlc
Eruption Tropopau
Level
se Mod/Sev Jet Stream Cycio'ne I I
Thunderstonn Tropopause
Turbulence 80 kts & above
FL380 till chart depicted, & Isolated CB Low
lower limit II Indicates 20 kts FL380 till chart
speed change lower limit
SIGWXCHART
 10-47
station Model

•••••••••...... HI h ,•d@
'■
)
1i I 9 Cloud Cirrus
- - - .. ____ •••••• Medi . '
3/8 ota Sky Cove r ----· -··-- · --
•
um Cloud Altocumulus J!l, ~
\.AJ - _____ Wind
80°F Temperature ----- --- \ m h
- Pressure NE
123 ------
tion
Heavy Rain Weather ,
----,'80\ '.
speed & Direc
1012 3 25 P
o
1 nm
.
V1slblllty ·····1 '••• .....•-·····- Pressure Change 7
7 ~::: :··- Pressure TrendShow Fallin~~ ..
63°F Dew-point--------. • .....::: Past Weat her erg en ns,ng
Stratus Low cloud ----- --,§. ~.,.... -:;3
\/ 4
Prec ipitation Time h
3/8 Low cloud Cover ----- ----- --- ....... .12 ··---- -- 6 hr
3 4
Precipitation o1-2 1 ohurs ago
----- ----- ----- 2
300-599 ft Low cloud Height • nc es

Wind Barbs Rain Snow Pressure Trend

•• ••
rt
O Calm Light Light Rising then falling
.l.- 5 Kts ••• Moderate •*• Moderate
\.._ 10 Kts •••• Heavy •••• Heavy Rising then steady
u._ 15 Kts
\\\_ 25 Kts
L- 50 Kts
Drizzle
' ' Light
Thunderstorm
~ Light
I Rising

Falling then rising

~ 60 Kts / , Moderate f1 Heavy ✓ rapidly
,;, Heavy ' Lightning f:a.lling sharply then
\
\ . nsing
Cloud Cover Rain Shower Snow Shower
0 Clear
•
tJ Light 'v • Light Falling then steady
(D 1/8 •
V
Moderate
V • Moderate \ Falling
~ Scattered
'\ Rising, then falling
~ 3/8
() 4/8
Freezing Rain
{e\Jl ight
...
Misc
Ice Crystals
A Ice Pellets
sharply

5/8 ~He avy

Et -fr Snow Grain ../\- Moderate Turbulence
Broken
'I ~ Blowing Snow A

••
®
7/8
Overcast
Obscured
Tropical

!
Cyclone
Storm
c::x:, Haze
-- Fog
( "' Smoke
~ Severe Turbulence
\fjl
'1ft
Moderate Icing
Severe Icing

6 Missing

Cumullforrn Cirriforrn
Stratiforrn __:, C1 Cirrus (filaments)
O CuCumulus
- SrStratus
~ Cu Towering Cumulus --» C1 Cirrus (dense)
- - - FS Fractostratus
~ Ce Cumulonimbus - , C1 Cirrus (from Ce)
-...r Sc Stratocumulus
-0- Sc (from cumulus) B Ce (clear top) / c, Cirrus (hook, spreading)
L. As Altostratus (thin) 0 Cu& Sc / C1&Cs
~ As Altostratus \.A.I Ac Altocumulous ~ c, Cirrocumulous
--S.. Cs Cirrostratus (partial) ~ Ac (thickening)
.l..5. Cs Cirroslratus ( ; Ac (patchy)
. l - Cs&C1 ~ Ac(thick)
>"'--< Ac (from cumulus)
n Ac (turrets)
~ Ac (chaotic)