Weather Elements
This is the boundary where two air masses meet, often causing significant weather changes.
What is a front?
This continuous broadcast at busy airports provides pilots with current weather and operational information.
What is ATIS (Automatic Terminal Information Service)?
These clouds, found at high altitudes, are thin and wispy in appearance.
What are cirrus clouds?
This process removes ice from an aircraft to ensure safe operation.
What is de-icing?
This type of air mass is cold and dry, often forming over polar land regions.
What is a continental polar air mass?
These clouds, known for their vertical growth, are responsible for thunderstorms and violent weather.
What are cumulonimbus clouds?
Updated every hour, this weather report gives pilots detailed conditions at specific airports, including wind, visibility, and cloud cover.
What is a METAR?
Often bringing steady rain or snow, these layered clouds are found at low altitudes.
What are stratus clouds?
Caused by rapid downdrafts, this severe weather event is particularly dangerous during takeoff and landing.
What is a microburst?
This type of front forms when a warm air mass slides over a colder one, bringing steady precipitation.
What is a warm front?
Formed when warm, moist air rises and cools, this process is essential for cloud formation.
What is condensation?
These advisories warn pilots of hazardous weather like severe turbulence, thunderstorms, and volcanic ash clouds.
What are SIGMETs?
These clouds, commonly seen in middle altitudes, have a bumpy, patchy appearance.
What are altocumulus clouds?
This invisible atmospheric phenomenon can create sudden turbulence, often reported by pilots.
What is clear air turbulence (CAT)?
Air masses originating over warm ocean waters are classified as this.
What are maritime tropical air masses?
This type of weather phenomenon occurs when wind changes direction or speed over a short distance and poses risks during takeoff or landing.
What is wind shear?
This type of real-time weather report from pilots provides valuable insights into current flight conditions.
What are PIREPs (Pilot Reports)?
These clouds are the primary cause of heavy rain and severe turbulence when vertically developed.
What are cumulonimbus clouds?
This type of fog forms when moist air passes over a cooler surface, reducing visibility.
What is advection fog?
These fronts occur when two air masses stall, creating prolonged precipitation or storms.
What are stationary fronts?
These low, lens-shaped clouds, often forming near mountains, can create hazardous conditions for pilots.
What are lenticular clouds?
These alerts, issued for moderate turbulence or icing, are designed for less severe weather but still aid pilots in planning safe routes.
What are AIRMETs?
These "fractured" clouds indicate a broken layer, often seen in turbulent weather.
What are fractostratus clouds?
These cyclical ocean temperature changes influence global weather patterns, including hurricanes and droughts.
What are El Niño and La Niña?
When two cold air masses converge and lift a warm air mass, this type of front is formed.
What is an occluded front?