National Weather Service

Center Weather Service Unit (CWSU) Fort Worth

Mission: Our main responsibility is to provide up to the minute weather information and briefings to the ZFW Traffic Management Unit (TMU) and control room supervisors. Special emphasis is given those weather conditions that would be hazardous to aviation or would impede the flow of air traffic in the National Airspace System. CWSU meteorologists also issue Center Weather Advisories (CWA). CWAs are aviation weather warnings for thunderstorms, icing, turbulence, and low IFR ceilings and visibilities.

Operations: Fort Worth Center is one of 21 ARTCCs in the United States and covers portions of 5 states (Texas, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Arkansas and Louisiana), covering over 174,000 square miles of airspace. Within the Fort Worth Center area, there are 18 radar approach control facilities, and 87 airports with instrument approaches. Among these, the Dallas/Fort Worth airport (DFW) is consistently one of the world's busiest, and weather conditions affecting DFW arrivals and departures can have a major impact on the entire National Airspace System (NAS). This center handles over 2 million aircraft operations per year, or almost 6000 per day. Our main responsibility is to provide up to the minute weather information and briefings to the ZFW Traffic Management Unit (TMU) and control room supervisors. Special emphasis is given those weather conditions that would be hazardous to aviation or would impede the flow of air traffic in the National Airspace System. CWSU meteorologists also issue Center Weather Advisories (CWA). CWAs are aviation weather warnings for thunderstorms, icing, turbulence, and low IFR ceilings and visibilities.