Aviation and Weather In Minnesota
Mike BardouMeteorologist, Aviation Focal Point
National Weather Service Chanhassen, MN
Arden BergeMeteorologist In Charge
NWS Center Weather Service Unit Farmington, MN
Weather Forecast Offices (WFO)
National Weather Service WFOChanhassen, MN
• Located about 25 miles west of Minneapolis/St. Paul International Airport
• 25 full-time staff members
• At least 2-3 per shift
WFO Aviation Weather Services
• TAFs• Aviation Forecast Discussion• Airport Weather Warnings• Ballooning Forecasts• Soaring Forecasts
TAF Sites
TAF Monitoring
Center Weather Service Units (CWSU)
Center Weather Service UnitFarmington, MN
Located within the City of Farmington, MN about 20 miles S of MSP airport
Staffed by 4 NWS meteorologists from 5:00 am – 8:30 pm, 7 days a week.
CWSU Aviation Weather Services• Provide Professional Meteorological Services to FAA
Air Traffic System
Accomplished with:
-Center Weather Advisories, CWA (immediate hazards to aircraft)
-Meteorological Impact Statements MIS (Planning Product for air traffic system)
-Collaborative Convective Forecast Product, CCFP (Coordinated 6 hour Thunderstorm forecast)
-In-person and telephone briefings
Tools
Typical Precipitation Making Scenarios
“Panhandle Hook”• Strong low that develops in
the lee of the Rockies• Moves northeast drawing in
Gulf moisture and cold Canadian air
• Several mechanisms drive heavy precipitation
• Can produce over a foot of snow
• Location of heaviest snow dependent on low track
“Alberta Clipper”• Fast moving low that dives
out of Alberta, Canada• Limited moisture limits
snowfall amounts to between 1 and 6 inches
• Strong winds and colder air build in behind it
• Intensity varies greatly as does path
Average Snowfall
“Panhandle Hook”
“Alberta Clipper”
Creating TAFs
• Wind speed and direction• Visibility/obscurations• Weather type• Cloud base/coverage• Timing of changes
Wind Speed and Direction
• Driven by surface pressure pattern• Upper level wind pattern can also drive sfc
winds• Thermal processes and amount of vertical
directional shear help determine gusts
Wind Speed and Direction
Wind Speed and Direction
Wind Speed and Direction
Visibility
Radiation Fog• Develops overnight with
weak flow• Common under high
pressure
Advection Fog• Typical ahead of warm fronts• Can occur with weak
movement of warmer air over snow cover…can be prolonged
• Strong low level inversion develops (warm air moving over cold air)
• South or east component to the wind is favorable
Visibility
Satellite
Sounding
Weather (precipitation type)
• Need upward motion and moisture to develop precipitation
• Precipitation type (RA, SN, FZRA, PL…) is dependent on the vertical temperature structure through the atmosphere
• Depth of cold/warm layers determines if freezing/melting occur as precipitation falls to the ground
Ideal Soundings
FZRA IP
FZDZ FZDZ or -SN
Precipitation Intensity
• Determines visibility reductions in falling precip
• Strength of upward motion and amount of moisture in the atmosphere helps determine intensity
• 2 to 3 miles with light snow is common• 1 mile or less is common in heavy bands of
snow
Ceilings
• Clouds typically develop as saturation occurs at a particular level
• Cloud base is dependent on the level that saturation occurs
• Thickness of cloud cover is dependent on depth of the saturated layer
Ceilings
Biggest TAF Challenges
• Stratus or Fog?? Both?? Slight improvements/deterioration (eg. LIFR to IFR etc.)
• Precipitation Type• Thunderstorm coverage• Thunderstorm timing
Icing
Areas Where Icing Occurs• Most non-convective icing occurs in late fall through early
spring• Significant icing potential increased in areas of:
– Cold air advection – Relative humidity greater than 65% (the higher, the more
potential)– Enhanced upward vertical motion (trofs, fronts, orographic
lift) • Icing can occur anywhere super cooled water droplets come in
contact with an aircraft surface temperature below freezing• 85% of all icing conditions occur in vicinity of frontal systems
Warm Frontal Icing• Icing occurs up to 300 miles ahead of
surface front– If warm air is unstable, icing may be sporadic– Warm air is stable, icing continuous over an
extended area
Cold Frontal Icing• Icing with cold fronts usually not as
widespread as icing with a warm front– Showers/thunderstorms at front may produce
icing– Icing occurs along relatively narrow bands
Occluded Front Icing• Icing with occluded front has characteristics of
warm and cold frontal icing– Icing ahead of front normally has warm frontal
characteristics – Icing behind front is normally in narrow bands
Frost
• Thickness of frost determined by absolute moisture in the atmosphere
• “Warmer” air will hold more moisture and result in thicker easier to scrape frost
• “Colder” air will hold less moisture and result in thinner harder to scrape frost
How You Can Help…PIREPs!! -Limited observational data above the surface -They help us with the forecast -They also help other pilots
http://adds.aviationweather.gov/pireps/java/
Aviation Weather Resources
http://adds.aviationweather.gov/tafs/
Aviation Forecast Discussion
• Issued by most local offices that issue TAFs• Explains the reasoning behind the TAF• May also indicate confidence in the forecast
and potential deviations that may occur• Can also help provide info for conditions
between the TAF sites
http://www.aviationweather.gov/testbed/afd/
http://adds.aviationweather.gov/airmets/
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http://adds.aviationweather.gov/airmets/
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Questions??