Meteorology 3 Flashcards
1
Q
METAR Descriptors
A
- Showers (SH)
- Freezing (FZ)
- Blowing (BL)
- Drifting (DR)
- Shallow (MI)
- Patches (BC)
- Thunderstorm (TS)
- Covering part of aerodrome (PR)
2
Q
METAR Precipitation
A
- Rain (RA)
- Snow (SN)
- Drizzle (DZ)
- Hail (GR)
- Ice Pellets (PE)
- Ice Crystals (IC)
- Snow Grains (SG)
- Snow Pellets (GS)
- Unknown Precipitation (UP) – AWOS Only
3
Q
METAR Obscuring Phenomena
A
- Haze (HZ)
- Smoke (FU)
- Sand (SA)
- Dust (DU)
- Fog (FG) – Visibility < 5/8 SM
- Mist (BR) – Visibility ≥ 5/8 SM
4
Q
METAR Other Possible Weather
A
- Squall (SQ)
- Dust Storm (DS)
- Sandstorm (SS)
- Dust/Sand Swirls (PO)
- Volcanic Ash (VA)
- Funnel Cloud (FC)
- Tornado/Waterspout (+FC)
5
Q
Automatic Weather Observation System (AWOS)
A
- All AWOS are located on aerodromes
- Doesn’t report varying winds
- Visibility reported up to 9 SM
- Visibility reported by AWOS may be inaccurate
- Doesn’t report RVR
- Doesn’t report obstructions
- Sporadically reports freezing rain in certain other conditions
- Only reports cloud levels up to 10,000 ft
- Doesn’t report recent weather or wind shear
6
Q
CAVOK
A
- May be used when transmitting weather information to arriving aircraft
- May also be heard in ATIS
- No cloud below 5000’ or below the highest minimum sector altitude, whichever is higher
- No cumulonimbus
- Visibility of 6 SM or more
- No precipitation, thunderstorms, shallow fog, or drifting snow
7
Q
CAVU
A
- May be used in a METAR in USA
- Not technically authorized for use in Canada
- Ceiling and visibility are unlimited
8
Q
Graphical Area Forecast (GFA)
A
- Depicts most probable conditions expected to occur over a given area below 24,000 ft
- Issues approximately 30 minutes before beginning of coverage period
- Each new set of GFA charts replaces old ones
- 2 charts per time of coverage, one for clouds and weather, one for icing, turbulence, and freezing level
9
Q
GFA Clouds and Weather Chart
A
- Green Dashed line for intermittent precipitation
- Green solid dashed line for continuous precipitation
- Orange dashed line for lowered visibility not associated with precipitation
