Weather & Weather Reports

Question 1

What is a METAR

Answer 1

Hourly weather observations for pilots

Question 2

What is a TAF

Answer 2

Forecast of weather to come, valid for 24 or 30 hours (bigger airports)

Question 3

VFR, MVFR, IFR (cloud layers & visibility)

Answer 3

VFR
3sm visibility, 1,000 ft ceilings

MVFR
3-5sm of visibility, 1,000ft-3,000ft ceilings

IFR
1sm-3sm, 500-1000ft ceilings

LIFR
<1sm, <500ft ceilings

Question 4

What is an AIRMET and what types

Answer 4

-Generally for small aircraft
-Issued 4x a day, valid for 6 hours
Zulu:
Icing Conditions

Tango:
Turbulence, surface winds 30kts+ wind

Serria:
IFR Conditions/Mountian obstructions

Question 5

What is a SIGMET

Answer 5

-For all aircraft, Severe weather that is non-convective
-Issued as needed, valid for 4 hours
-Severe turbulence, severe icing, dust storms, volcanic ash

Question 6

What is a Convective SIGMET

Answer 6

-Issued every 55min past the hour, every hour, valid for 2 hours

Contains:
Thunderstorms, Embedded Thunderstorms, Squall lines, Tornados, Hail (>3/4in), sustained surface windows of 50kt+

Question 7

Winds Aloft Chart

Answer 7

-Within 1,500 no wind or temp data
-Within 2,500 just wind data
-subtract 50 from direction add 100 to wind speed

Question 8

Fog Types

Answer 8

When air mass is fully saturated (dew point) and condenses

Radiation Fog
the sun heats the surface and cools during the night, which will eventually rise and cause fog

Advection Fog
Air over the water is warmer and gets pushed onto cool land

Steam Fog
cold air moves over warmer water, causing the water’s vapor to condense into fog

Upslope fog
warmer air mass moved upslope and cools

Valley Fog
warm air gets trapped in valleys and cools.

Question 9

Cloud Types

Answer 9

-Low Clouds (Stratus)
-Middle Clouds (Altostratus, Altocumlus)
-High Clouds (Cirrus)
-Thunderstorm (Cumulonimbus)
-Heavy precipitation (Nimbus)

Question 10

Ice Types & Temps

Answer 10

-Visible moisture, temps at or below freezing (+–3)

Clear
-0c to -10c
-Forms from super-cooled water droplets
-Harder to detect

Mixed
-10c to -15c
-Mixture of both Clear and Rime

Rime
-15c to colder
-Ice crystals (frost)

Question 11

Ice types based on formation on aircraft

Answer 11

1. Structural (i.e wings, tail, struts)
2. Instrumental (i.e pitot static)
3. Induction (i.e icing on the air intake in front of aircraft)

Question 12

How do thunderstorms form

Answer 12

Uplifting motion, unstable atmosphere, visible moisture

Question 13

Cold Fronts

Answer 13

-Quicker moving
-Typically more severe but shorter-lasting weather
-After the storm, you can expect high pressure and better weather
-A cold front is like a snow plow it moves the Unstable warm moist air in front of it upwards
-Thunderstorms. (thunderstorms, hail, squall lines)

Question 14

Warm Front

Answer 14

-Like a person slowly moving the cold or cool air away,
-not a lot of vertical development.
-Warm moist humid air behind.
-More likely to have constant rain.

Question 15

Occluded Front

Answer 15

-Cold front catches up to warm front.
-Warm front weather originally then cold front weather

Question 16

High Pressure

Answer 16

-Downward, Outward, Clockwise
-Less likely to have thunderstorms
-Bad visibility
-Light rain

Question 17

Low Pressure

Answer 17

-Upward, Inward, Counterclockwise
-More likely to have thunderstorms
-Decent visibility

Question 18

Stationary Front

Answer 18

-Cold and Warm fronts collide and stay over the area
-Mixture of both front weather

Question 19

Throughs

Answer 19

Area of constant low-pressure

Question 20

Isobars

Answer 20

-Pressure differences
-The closer they are together, the stronger the wind
-Winds flow parallel with isobars

Question 21

Low-Level Significant Weather Chart

Answer 21

Weather forecast expected across the U.S