Weather Flashcards
Describe the different types of fronts (AC 00–6)
Cold front - occurs when a mass of cold, dense, and stable air advances and replaces a body of warmer air.
Occluded front - a frontal occlusion occurs when a fast-moving cold front catches up with a slow moving warm front. The two types are cold front occlusion and warm front occlusion.
Warm front - the boundary area formed when it warm air mass contacts and flows over a colder air mass.
Stationary front - when the forces of two air masses are relatively equal, the boundary or front that separates them remains stationary and influences the local weather for days. The weather is typically a mixture of both warm and cold fronts.
What are the general characteristics of a cold front?
As the cold front passes, expected weather can include towering cumulus or cumulonimbus, heavy rain accompanied by lightning, thunder and or hail; tornadoes possible; during passage, poor visibility, winds variable and gusting; temperature dewpoint and barometric pressure drop rapidly.
What are the general characteristics of a warm front?
Warm Front- As the front passes, expected weather can include:
1) stratiform clouds,
2) drizzle,
3) low ceilings and
4) poor visibility;
5) variable winds;
6) rise in temperature.
What is ATIS?
Automatic Terminal Information Service - the continuous broad-cast of recorded noncontrol information in selected high activity terminal areas. Its purpose is to improve controller effectiveness and to relieve frequency congestion by automating the repetitive transmission of essential but routine information. The information is continuously broadcast over a discrete VHF radio frequency or the voice portion of a local NAVAID, and updated upon the receipt of any official hourly and special weather.
What type of information is provided in an ATIS broadcast?
Information includes the time of the latest weather sequence, ceiling, visibility, obstructions to visibility, temperature, dewpoint if available, wind direction (magnetic), and velocity, altimeter, other pertinent remarks, instrument approach and runway in use.
While en route, how can a pilot obtain updated weather
information? (FAA-H-8083-25)
a. FSS on 122.2 and appropriate RCO (remote communication
outlet) frequencies
b. ATIS broadcasts along the route of flight
c. HIWAS (Hazardous Inflight Weather Advisory Service)
d. Datalink weather- cockpit display of FIS-B information
e. ATC (workload permitting)
What is the graphical forecast for aviation (GFA)?
The graphical forecast for aviation is intended to provide the necessary aviation weather information as a complete picture of the weather that may impact flight in the continental United States. The webpage includes observational data, forecast, and warnings that can be viewed from 14 hours in the past 15 hours in the future, including thunderstorms, clouds, flight category, precipitation, icing, turbulence and wind.
What are the four types of in-flight aviation weather advisories?
Inflight aviation weather advisories are forecasted to advise enroute aircraft of the development of potentially hazardous weather. The four types are the:
1) SIGMET (WS),
2) Convective SIGMET (WST),
3) AIRMET and
4) the center weather advisory (CWA).
All heights are referenced MSL, except in the case of ceilings (CIG) which indicate AGL.
What is a convective SIGMET?
Convective SIGMET’s Imply severe or greater turbulence, severe icing and low level wind shear. They may be issued for any convective situation which the forecast feels is hazardous to all categories of aircraft. They are valid for up to two hours.
What is a SIGMET?
A SIGMET advises of weather that is potentially hazardous to all aircraft. SIGMET‘s are unscheduled products that are valid for four hours. However SIGMETs associated with tropical cyclones of volcanic ash clouds are valid for six hours.
What are the different types of AIRMETs?
a) AIRMET Sierra describes IFR conditions and/or extensive mountain obscurations.
b) AIRMET Tango describes moderate turbulence, sustained surface winds of 30 knots or greater, and or non-convective low level windshear.
c) AIRMET Zulu describes moderate icing and provides freezing level heights.
What is the winds and temperatures aloft forecast (FB)?
Winds and temperatures aloft are forecast for specific locations in the contiguous US and also for a network of locations in Alaska and Hawaii. These forecast, called FBs are issued four times daily. In an FB, at four digit code group shows wind direction, in reference to true north, and wind speed in knots, with an additional two digit code group showing forecast temperatures in degrees Celsius. Wind forecast are not issued for altitudes within 1500 feet of a location’s elevation.
Define IFR, MVFR & VFR
Instrument Flight Rules (IFR) indicated on the Weather Depiction Chart represents ceilings less than 1,000 feet and/or visibility less than 3 statute miles.
Marginal Visual Flight Rules (MVFR) indicated on the Weather Depiction Chart represents ceiling 1,000 to 3,000 feet and/or visibility 3 to 5 statute miles.
Visual Flight Rules (VFR) indicated on the Weather Depiction Chart represents a ceiling greater than 3,000 feet or clear skies and visibility greater than 5 statute miles.
Define the term “ceiling.”
The ceiling is the lowest layer aloft reported as broken or overcast. If the sky is totally obscured with ground based clouds, the vertical visibility is the ceiling.
