Met Terminology Flashcards
Who provides Meteorological services for aviation in Australia?
Bureau of Meteorology (BoM)
What are the three main categories of meteorological information provided by BoM?
- Forecasts
- Warnings
- Observations
What are the main examples of forecasts?
- TAF - Terminal Aerodrome Forecast
- Area QNH
- GAF - Graphical Area Forecast
- SIGWX - Significant Weather
- GPWT - Grid Point Wind and Temperature
What are the main examples of warnings provided by BoM?
- SIGMET - Significant meteorological information. A description of an occurrence (or expected occurrence) in a specific area of some phenomena which may affect aircraft operations)
- AIRMET - Airman’s meteorological information. § Contains info concerning weather that is significant to aircraft operations at or below 10,000ft (not contained in a valid GAF).
- Aerodrome Warnings - Issued for protection of parked aircraft
- Wind Shear Warnings - Reported by pilots and ATC
- Volcanic Ash Clouds - Advisory issued by BoM in NOTAM and SIGMET
What are the main examples of observations/reports that are provided by the BoM?
- METAR
- SPECI
- Aerological Diagrams
- AWIS - Aerodrome Weather Information Service
How often are TAFs issued? What is usual validity period? What distance do they apply to? What height do they use?
- Every 6 hours.
- Valid for 12, 18, 24 hours depending on the category of the airport
- Apply to an area within a radius of approx 5nm of the Aerodrome Reference Point (ARP)
What is a TAF3?
There is a relatively high degree of confidence that the forecast will be correct for the first 3 hours after the forecast has been released.
How often are military TAF3s issued?
Every hour.
What altitudes are GAF forecasts designed to meet the needs of pilots?
Under 10,000 ft AMSL
How many regions does the GAF divide Australia into?
10
When is a GAF issued and at what times?
- Every 6 hours at 2300Z, 0500Z, 1100Z, 1700Z
Which is more significant, a SIGMET or an AIRMET?
SIGMET
What is a METAR?
- Routine reports issued at fixed times, either half-hourly or hourly.
- Also may be made on request
What is a SPECI?
- Aerodrome report that is issued whenever conditions occur that may be significant to aviation (either a deterioration or improvement)
What are Automatic Meteorological Broadcasts?
Automated weather reports that are available for aircraft in flight using discrete frequencies.
What are Automatic En Route Information Service (AERIS)?
- AERIS continuously broadcasts METAR/SPECI and TTF information from a network of VHF transmitters located around Australia.
What is a VOLMET?
Broadcasts weather information for a designated group of international aerodromes depending on the HF frequency tuned.
What is an AWIS?
- Aerodrome Weather Information Service
- The AWIS broadcasts weather information for a specific location, either on request via VHF or by telephone.
- Information is received from an Automatic Weather Stations
What is the WATIR?
- Weather and Terminal Information Receiver
- Combines information from AWS and airport operator combined
What are the 5 cloud okta expressions?
SKC = No clouds FEW = 1 - 2 oktas SCT = 3 - 4 oktas BKN = 5 - 7 oktas OVC = 8 oktas
In non aerodrome type forecasts, how are Cumulonimbus and Towering Cumulus expressed as?
- ISOL = Isolated, Individual CB and/or TCU over an area with maximum spatial coverage of up to 50%
- OCNL = Occasional, well separated CBs and/or TCU over an area with spatial coverage of 50-75%
- FRQ = Frequent, CBs and/or TCUs with little or no separation over an area with spatial coverage greater than 75%
What are the 4 lower level clouds?
- Stratus (St)
- Stratocumulus (Sc)
- Altostratus (As)
- Nimbostratus (Ns)
What are the 3 middle level clouds?
- Cumulus (Cu)
- Cumulonimbus (Cb)
- Altocumulus (Ac)
What are the 3 higher level clouds?
- Cirrus (Ci)
- Cirrocumulus (Cc)
- Cirrostratus (Cs)
