Unifying In-flight and Terminal Aviation Forecast Information for a Continuum of Aviation Information

When the Graphical Forecast Editor (GFE) was released for operational use in the National Weather Service (NWS) more than a decade ago, forecasting the weather at the surface in a gridded digital fashion challenged forecasters considerably, thus forecasting weather elements above the surface for aviation services, such as cloud layers, was deferred. In the years since then, new techniques were developed by field forecasters that allowed them to create and maintain a digital representation of all the weather elements required for generating the full suite of aviation products. The Digital Aviation Services (DAS) Integrated Work Team was established to collect, review, and refine the work accomplished at field forecast offices and extend the work, such that products targeted for aviation operations can occur as seamlessly as the remaining suite of forecast products.

Towards supporting the creation of a consistent aviation forecast picture, on local to national scales as well as terminal to in-flight conditions, the DAS team is establishing a forecast process utilizing GFE grids, tools, and Hazard Services concepts. This presentation will show progress made on Terminal Aerodrome Forecasts (TAFs) for Weather Forecast Offices (WFO's) using gridded guidance, science-based algorithms, and automated text generation. We will discuss collaboration between the WFO's and the Meteorological Watch Offices (MWOs) to produce coordinated Ceiling and Visibility grids. Finally, we will present work toward In-Flight weather forecasts and warnings using a combination of digital grids and Hazard Services workflows.