Web Weather, From Last Minute to Last Year

The aim of this article is to introduce users to the newly developed and leading edge weather section of the SafePIC site. "Weather" is divided into seven sections which will help users expedite the process of locating the information they need. These sections include What Pilots Need to Know, Big Picture, NEXRAD, Extras, Forecasts for Freshmen, Weatherheads and Weather History. Web weather is only in its infancy thus this site can only be legally used to highlight government weather briefs.

What Pilots Need to Know contains the basic information pilots need to fly a trip. Using this section is very straightforward. For instance, hourly weather and terminal forecasts for the last 24 hours can be obtained by clicking on the word and entering the three-letter identifier for the airport or city name. Following this, you select the time period that ranges from the most recent report to yesterday’s report. Finally, you select raw data or decoded data for METAR format or forecast data.

Pilot reports for sky conditions, turbulence and icing are also available in this section. Graphic maps allow pilots to view the entire U.S. report at once. Each graphic is updated every twelve hours.

Surface Charts contain a plethora of information. To access this data, the first step is to go to Overview, which contains temperature/dew point analyses, sea-level pressure in millibars, and 3-hour pressure trends in millibars per hour. Each of the overviews is then broken out for separate viewing. Wind velocity, in knots, and 24-hour precipitation levels are highlighted. An actual view of the area’s surface is contained in City-Cam pictures, some of which are updated every minute. Upper Air Charts present constant pressure analyses with temperature, wind, and pressure gradients. Views start at 850 millibars (5,000ft), and continue through 200 millibars (38,500ft).

The next part features Radar. It covers the United States and starts with an overview of the country followed by a picture map of the U.S.,with all the Radars hyperlinked. From here, the user can point and click in the desired area and find the closest radar to that location

Model runs comprise Airmets that begin with IFR Conditions/[Obscuration]. Airmet turbulence and Airmets for icing advisories follow with Sigmets and international Sigmets included in the last section.

NEXRAD, the Doppler Radar section, presents visually the areas around major cities. The featured cities include Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Cincinnati, Denver, Dallas, Kansas City, Los Angeles, Louisville, Miami, Minneapolis, New Orleans, New York, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Portland (Oregon), St. Louis, Salt Lake City, San Francisco, and Washington DC. Each view is updated every 15 minutes, which means that you can access what is essentially real-time data.

Forecasts for Freshmen begins with Current Weather which is an analysis of the U.S. weather patterns for the past hour. Today's Forecast presents a surface analysis forecast for the next 24 hours while Tomorrow's Forecast presents the same data for the next 48 hours. U.S. Forecast Highs and Lows are the current day’s temperature extremes for the nation. Traveler's Weather/Present and Extended Forecast gives up to a four-day forecast for selected cities and this is accessible by clicking on the desired city name.

Weather History provides some of the information needed to fill out NASA/ASRS and other related forms and contains historical data for the last two years. Surface Maps provides radar summaries, surface data plots, fronts and pressure contours for the entire U.S. Infra-red Satellite Images highlights areas of clouds (cold areas), and clear (warm areas). Upper Air Charts shows surface, 850, 700, 500, and 300 millibars as well as relative humidity. To find the information you desire, select the desired date, click on the topic and select the appropriate month and year, followed by the day and time period - the time is presented in six-hour blocks.