In the good old days at the 89th we used to joke prior to every weather briefing, "It's not like the forecaster is going to say anything to make us cancel, is it?"
— James Albright
Updated:
2020-12-05
Weather Briefing,
from Bob Stevens, There I was
Now, older, wiser, and without the killer military instinct, we believe: "When the going gets tough, we'll just fly tomorrow." But how do you make that decision? Read on . . .
I provide several links to the U.S. aviationweather.gov resources, which are quite good. But keep in mind there are better options available in several dedicated flight planning Apps as well as weather Apps, some of which are covered here: Weather Online.
1
Aviation forecasts
aviationweather.gov aviation forecast
The www.aviationweather.gov page offers:
- A map of the U.S. with surface winds depicted
- A map of the U.S. with clouds depicted
2
Icing
aviationweather.gov icing forecast
The www.aviationweather.gov page offers:
- Current Icing Sigmets
- Current Icing Aircraft Reports
- Forecast Icing
- Freezing Level
3
Prog charts
aviationweather.gov surface plot
The www.aviationweather.gov page offers:
- High Level FL 250 - 630, selectable for several worldwide regions
- Mid Level FL100 - 450, North Atlantic
- Low Level SFC-240, Continental United States
- Surface Plot, Continental United States
4
TAFs
aviationweather.gov TAFs
The www.aviationweather.gov page offers:
- A graphical depiction of the world which is scrollable and scalable to show where TAFs are available and providing these TAFs with a click of the mouse.
- Manually selectable TAFs with IDs, available raw or decoded.
- Regional TAF plots, showing prevailing conditions.
- TAF boards that show trend information across several categories for a chosen airport.
5
Winds/temperature
aviationweather.gov winds/temps forecast
The www.aviationweather.gov page offers:
- Winds/Temps Forecasts
- Winds/Temps Plots
- Winds/Temps Data
References
(Source material)
14 CFR 91, Title 14: Aeronautics and Space, General Operating and Flight Rules, Federal Aviation Administration, Department of Transportation
14 CFR 135, Title 14: Aeronautics and Space, Operating Requirements: Commuter and On Demand Operations and Rules Governing Persons on Board Such Aircraft, Federal Aviation Administration, Department of Transportation
Aeronautical Information Manual
"There I was..." 25 Years, Bob Stevens, 1992