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Aviation Weather
Meteorology
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Aviation Weather Weather Hazards
 Thunderstorms
 Wind Shear
 Turbulence
 Icing
 Fog
 Additional Hazards
Aviation English BBC

Thunderstorm

Thunderstorm

Requirements for thunderstorms
 Moist air
 Instability
 Initial lifting action

 If you have the moisture and instability, you need a
lifting action to set off the instability
 Heating (thermals)
 Orographic lifting
 Fronts
 Low-level Convergence
 Upper-level Divergence
Heating (Thermals)
 When the ground becomes much warmer than the

air above it, the Lapse Rate is GREATER than standard
(2-3 deg /1000 ft)
 The slightest displacement of that warm air (say a
wind gust) will send that warm air into a vertical
motion
 This creates bubbles of rising warm air that we
call thermals
Heating (Thermals)
 Thermals can have horizontal dimensions of a few

hundred to a few thousand feet.
 Vertical speeds can be a few hundred F.P.M. to 2,000

F.P.M
 Thermals can happen as long as the ground is warmer

than the air above it (i.e. cold front passage)
 Most common in hottest months and time of day

(i.e. Southern Illinois in the summer)
Thunderstorms
 Orographic lifting
 A fancy name for when air is lifted due to a
mountain or other terrain
 Fronts
 The wedge of the warm or cold front lifts the
warm air mass and sets off any instability

Thunderstorms
 Low-Level Convergence
 Convergence is when the air horizontally converges
into an area
 This creates a higher pressure and the only place for
that air to go is up
 Upper-Level Divergence
 Divergence is when the air horizontally diverges
from an area
 This creates an upper area low pulling air up from
the surface
Thunderstorms
 Three stages of the thunderstorm

 Cumulus
 Mature
 Dissipating

Life cycle of a thunderstorm

Cumulus Stage
 Updrafts predominate and are continuous

 Updraft area is much larger than just one individual thermal
 You can visually see one particular cloud growing faster
than all others (and all others may even shrink as they feed
the one)
 This stage could grow the cloud all the way to a towering
cumulus (about 20,000 feet)
 Usually does not produce precipitation, but can (though it
will
Aviation not become mature)
English BBC
Mature Stage
 Begins when precipitation-induced downdrafts reach the

ground
 Lightning and thunder
 Well organized circulation in the cloud
 Top of cloud reaches into the lower stratosphere
 The well known anvil shape is formed
 A cumulus stage that produces precipitation does not reach
mature stage and does not produce lightning and thunder
Dissipating Stage
 Characterized by precipitation and downdrafts

 Updrafts are cut off so there is no more development
 Ends with stratiform clouds since the anvil layer is often
an ice cloud, it still lingers after the storm dissipates

Hazards
 Tornados
 A violently rotating column of air
 Winds up to 200 miles per hour (or more!)
 Incredible localized damage

 Hail
 A result of very strong updrafts
 Can be thrown out the top of the thunderstorm
 Tenths of an inch to larger than a softball

Lightning
 Electric discharge
 Heats surrounding air to 50,000 deg. F. causing
air to rapidly expand
 That’s what causes the shockwave called thunder In
Cloud, Cloud to cloud, cloud to ground

Downdrafts
 Can cause low level wind shear
• Stay 20 NM
away from a
thunderstorm
• And don’t fly
through or
under one!

Wind Shear
 A change in wind direction and/or speed within a

very short distance
 Causes of Wind Shear
 Microburst
 Passing fronts
 Temperature Inversions

Wind Shear
 Low Level wind shear is most hazardous to pilots

 A sudden increase in wind or a switch from tail wind
to head wind could give the pilot false indications

Turbulence
 Technically defined as bumpiness in flight

 Types
 Low Level Turbulence (below 15,000ft)
 In and near thunderstorms
 Clear air
 Mountain wave

Low Level Turbulence
 Mechanical Turbulence
 The stronger the wind, the higher mechanical
turbulence can reach

Low Level Turbulence
 Thermal Turbulence
 An unstable cold air mass over warm ground is
prime ingredients for thermals
 Hot air rising causes vertical motion

Clear Air Turbulence
 Occurs in the free air away from any convective

activity
 Above 15,000 ft where beyond the affects of low
level turbulence
 Cannot usually be seen unless there are any
clouds to show effect

Mountain Wave Turbulence
 Stable air flowing over mountains

 Can affect air pattern for hundreds of miles

Icing
 Icing occurs
 When there is visible moisture or
precipitation
 Temperatures of aircraft skin are below
freezing

Types of Icing
 Clear
 Rime
 Mixed
Fog
 A cloud below 50 feet

 Needs condensation nuclei and moisture
 Types
 Radiation
 Advection
 Steam
 Upslope
 Ice
 Precipitation
Radiation (Ground Fog)
 Little or no wind
 Common in valleys and
low lying areas
 Ground is cooled rapidly
 Air above is then cooled
to dew point

Advection Fog
 Wind above 15 knots

will make stratus clouds
 Water changes temp
slower than terrain
 At night water remains
warmer
 In the morning water
remains colder
Mist
• Mist (BR) is reported as "A visible minute water droplets or ice

crystals suspended in the atmosphere that reduces visibility to
less than 7 statute miles but greater than or equal to 5/8 statute
mile."
Visibility
 Reduced visibility is the meteorological component

which impacts flight operations the most.
 Topographic features all tend to look the same at low
levels making good route navigation essential.
 This can only be done in times of clear visibility.

Types of Visibility
There are several terms used to describe the different

types of visibility used by the aviation community.
 Horizontal visibility
 Prevailing visibility
 Vertical visibility
 Slant range visibility
 Flight visibility
Volcanic Ash
 A major, but fortunately infrequent, threat to aviation is

volcanic ash. When a volcano erupts, a large amount of
rock is pulverized into dust and blasted upwards.
 The altitude is determined by the severity of the blast
and, at times, the ash plume will extend into the
stratosphere.
 This ash is then spread downwind by the winds aloft in
the troposphere and the stratosphere.
Aviation Weather Reports
 Aviation Routine Weather Report (METAR)

 Pilot Weather Reports (PIREPs)
 Radar Weather Reports (RAREP)
 Terminal Aerodrome Forecasts (TAF)
 Area Forecasts (FA)
In ﬂight Weather Advisories
 AIRMET
 SIGMET
THAT IS ALL
THANK YOU
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Aviation Weather

• Click to edit Master subtitle style

Aviation English BBC

Aviation English BBC

Aviation English BBC

Aviation English BBC

 When the ground becomes much warmer than the

 Thermals can have horizontal dimensions of a few

 Vertical speeds can be a few hundred F.P.M. to 2,000

 Thermals can happen as long as the ground is warmer

 Most common in hottest months and time of day

Aviation English BBC

 Three stages of the thunderstorm

Aviation English BBC

Aviation English BBC

 Updrafts predominate and are continuous

 Begins when precipitation-induced downdrafts reach the

 Characterized by precipitation and downdrafts

Aviation English BBC

Aviation English BBC

Aviation English BBC

Aviation English BBC

 Can cause low level wind shear

Aviation English BBC

 A change in wind direction and/or speed within a

Aviation English BBC

 Low Level wind shear is most hazardous to pilots

Aviation English BBC

 Technically defined as bumpiness in flight

Aviation English BBC

Aviation English BBC

Aviation English BBC

 Occurs in the free air away from any convective

Aviation English BBC

 Stable air flowing over mountains

Aviation English BBC

Aviation English BBC

 A cloud below 50 feet

Aviation English BBC

 Wind above 15 knots

• Mist (BR) is reported as "A visible minute water droplets or ice

 Reduced visibility is the meteorological component

Aviation English BBC

There are several terms used to describe the different

 A major, but fortunately infrequent, threat to aviation is

 Aviation Routine Weather Report (METAR)

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