REFLECTOR: Weather Planning Tool Preflight Sequence

[Bob Jackson (Jax Tech)]

Good Morning Lou,

 

I assume when you said 'APP' you were referring to iPad or iPhone type apps
for weather planning, but answers in the context of 'internet apps' -- the
kind you may use more for preflight planning -- might still be helpful, so
here are mine.

 

These are links to the sequence of weather app's that I use for all my IFR
flight planning:

1.	NOAA Surface Fronts (last 24 hrs) --
http://www.hpc.ncep.noaa.gov/html/sfcloop/namus_wbg.html
2.	NOAA Surface Front Forecast --
http://aviationweather.gov/adds/progs/
3.	NOAA Full US weather map --
http://www.wrh.noaa.gov/zoa/mwmap3.php?map=usa
4.	     {From the NOAA Full US weather map, click on each location of
interest for full current Wx, PIREP, NWS Forecast, Guidance, TAF and RUC
Sounding Maps -- this is some kind of 'local' NOAA map that you can't find
from the main NOAA menu}
5.	NOAA Icing Current and Forecast Icing Maps (full US) --
http://aviationweather.gov/adds/icing/icingnav
6.	NOAA Winds Aloft Current and Forecast Maps (full US) --
http://aviationweather.gov/adds/winds/
7.	Wundermap (NEXRAD Radar and Satellite IR4 Wx Loops, local or full
US) -- http://www.wunderground.com/wundermap/
8.	FAA TFRs -- http://tfr.faa.gov/tfr_map_ims/html/index.html

 

I think all the weather we see all essentially traces back to the NOAA
source, and once you get to the right pages, I find the NOAA graphics to be
generally as good and communicative as any others, so in general I prefer to
get my weather directly from NOAA, as much as possible.

 

The #3 link is by itself worth it's weight in gold and provides a world of
information.  I believe it was initially identified here on the Reflector,
but I know it is very difficult, maybe impossible to find this site by
navigating to it from the main NOAA site.  It's apparently a 'locally
produced' NOAA website, created by a 'satellite' NOAA organization.  Once
you follow the main link, you can 'hover' over any weather station to get
the current weather.  

 

But, more importantly, if you click on a weather station of interest, it
will bring up the history of hourly weather observations, and even more
importantly, in TABS across the top:  PIREP (local cloud tops and bottoms if
you scroll down), the NWS Forecast for that area, Guidance (a 24 hour
prediction of ceilings, visibility, precipitation, winds, etc),  the
Terminal Area Forcast for the next 12 hours, RUC Sounding Map (for profile
temps and freezing level, plus winds), and the local satellite image.  

 

I like the Wundermap because you can zoom in and out, loop it, and show
either the NEXRAD radar image or the satellite imagery in the loop.  The IR4
satellite option shows cloud layers 24 hrs/day.

 

This sequence of preflight weather planning, and with XM Wx in the air,
seems to keep us out of trouble and rarely, if ever surprised!

 

Bob Jackson

N2XF

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From: reflector-bounces at tvbf.org [mailto:reflector-bounces at tvbf.org] On
Behalf Of Lou Stedman
Sent: Tuesday, January 10, 2012 4:41 PM
To: Velocity Reflector
Subject: REFLECTOR: Apps

 

Wondering if anyone would like to share their favorite weather APP?

 

Lou Stedman
Velocity SEFG
N7044Q
Olean, NY

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