NWS Aviation Weather Services
Program
The goal of the NWS Aviation Weather
Program is to couple the art and science of meteorology to enhance the
safe and efficient use of the National Airspace System.
 NWS
prepares and provides approximately 4 million forecasts a year for the aviation
community. These forecasts assist pilots, dispatchers, air traffic controllers
and their operational teams in planning into, out of, and across
the country. The forecasts are
a result of a unique blend of programs developed over many years with input
from the aviation community.
The aviation community, since First
Flight has expanded service within the United
States to more than 85,000 flights a day spanning
the globe. As a member of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO),
the United States plays
an active role in laying the ground work for international air travel
safety and efficiency.
A principle activity of ICAO is standardization of international practices
and procedures in the technical fields of aviation. In following ICAO standardization,
the United States Federal
Aviation Administration (FAA), in partnership with the NWS, develops
and monitors aviation weather services and products.
 NWS employs approximately 1,000 meteorologists
to meet the growing demand for products and services. As a member-state of The
World Meteorological Organization (WMO), these NWS meteorologist take
part in a global project called the World Area Forecast System (WAFS). WAFS
is a meteorological and communications project coordinating global preparation
and distribution of meteorological flight planning data
for use by international carriers.
There are two WAFS centers: One
in the United States, The National
Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP), and another in
the United Kingdom: Meteorological
Office of the United Kingdom. These two offices prepare global forecasts
for upper winds and air temperatures, jet stream movements, and tropopause
heights, using worldwide standard Gridded Binary (GRIB) data code. These
offices and other regional centers also prepare significant weather forecasts
crossing international boundaries.
Keeping Our National Airspace System Safe
The NWS provides the National Airspace System with 122 Weather Forecast
Offices, 21 Center Weather Services Units, 6 Regional Offices, and 2 aviation
weather units. These offices work together, 24 hours a day, 365 days
a year, disseminating and transmitting approximately 4 million forecasts
a year that keep the United States and parts of the world's aviation community
up to date.
Learn more: Click on a link below for a brief description of each
service.
**For more information
or questions or comments, please email us at NWS.Outreach.ASB@noaa.gov ** |
www.nws.noaa.gov 
