National Weather Service
Professional Development Series

Forecasting Aviation Icing

Executive Producer:Mike Graf, OCWWS Aviation Services Branch

The goal of this Professional Development Series (PDS) is to improve icing forecasts and contribute to enhancement of aviation safety. The PDS training plan is an interagency effort targeting NWS, AFWA, and NMOC forecasters. The aviation hazards addressed in this series are:

  • In-cloud and in-precipitation icing, including large droplets.
  • Ground icing related to snowfall.
  • Induction or mechanically-induced icing.

    • These hazards currently comprise forecast responsibilities in the form of military and NWS-generated icing forecasts. Some of these forecasts address global airspace. The skills and knowledge presented in this PDS will help aviation forecasters preparing forecasts that specifically address hazardous icing conditions.

    These instructional units and their relationship to forecaster duties were originally identified by a science applications team.

    Professional Competency Units

    This Professional Development Series (PDS) includes the Professional Competency Units (PCUs) listed below. Click on a unit to see details.

  • PCU 1: Applying Climatological Data to Icing Forecasting on All Spatial Scales
  • PCU 2: Assessing the Hemispheric Environment: Large-Scale Patterns Associated with Icing Episodes
  • PCU 3: Assessing the Synoptic-Scale Environment: Patterns and Synoptic-Scale Features Conducive to the Formation of Icing
  • PCU 4: Assessing the Mesoscale Environment: Determining the Hazards (ground/in-flight)
  • PCU 5: Determining Temporal (Onset and Termination) and Spatial (Vertical and Horizontal) Extent of Potential Icing Threats
  • PCU 6: Determining Icing Type and Severity
  • PCU 7: Evaluating Potential Impacts of Icing Hazards and Forecasts on Aviation Operations
  • PCU 8: Issuing Forecasts Per Agency-Specific Procedures
  • PCU 9: Integrating the Icing Forecast into the Overall Aviation Forecast Process
  • Bibliography

    • Return to the Master NWS PDS Page
    Last updated on 3/16/01