Delta Air Lines Meteorology

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Delta Air Lines Meteorology
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Department Information

• Began in 1960
• 12 Meteorologists
• 2-3 Meteorologists on-shift
• every hour, every day
• 1 Surface Forecaster
• 1-2 Upper Air Forecasters
• Weather data from WSI and the NWS

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Primary Customers

• Flight Control and OCC
• Flight Operations
• In-Flight
• Stations
• De-Icing Operators

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Upper Air Products
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Upper Air Hazards
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Upper Air Turbulence Chart
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Upper Air Turbulence Chart
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Metro Alert Example
SE1 031908-041500 SOUTH CENTRAL RE
GION OVR MS-GA-SC-NC..FM SJI-MCN-CAE-RDU..
100NM WIDE LINE OF LGT-MDT TURBC AT FL340-390/TR
OP MOVG SE 10KTS.
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Flight Planning Message Example
NORTH ATLANTIC EBND FLT PLANNING MSG - 14 NOV
08 / 1. COLD TEMPS..ERN TRACKS-EUROPE (FL370-
390)..SEE MAP / 2. RTES/FLS.. COASTAL NEW EN
GLAND SUGG AOB FL320..NBFL LOWER.
OVR SERN CANADA SUGG FL340-360..NBFL HIGHER.
TRACKS/SRN RANDOMS (32-20W) SUGG
FL310-340..NBFL HIGHER. OVR WRN EUR MIN COST.
.NBFL HIGHER. SCANDINAVIA/ERN EUROPE/WRN RUSSI
A SUGG 270-340..NBFL HIGHER.
/ 3. ETPS.. YYT/YQX/YJT/YYR..USEABLE. KEF/TER
..USEABLE. DUB/GLA..USEABLE. TRD/OSL..USEABLE.
LIS..USEABLE.
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Sigmets

• BICC 071315 BIRD SIGMET 02 VALID 071315/071615
  BIRK- BIRD
  
• REYKJAVIK CTA MOD OCNL SEV TURB OBS AT 1300Z AND
  FCST WI N61
  
• W026 - N61 W018 - N6230 W018 - N6230 W026
  FL290/350 MOV E 25KT
  
• NC
• RESPONSE
• METR-3
• REFERENCE BIRD SIGMET 02
• /
• PIREPS NO REPORTS OF SEVERE TURBC RCVD..
• /
• BASED ON LATEST DATA..SEVERE TURBC NOT XPCD W/I
  SIGMET AREA
  
• ..OCNL MDT PSBL W/I FLS 290-340 THIS AREA THRU
  THE PERIOD
  
• /

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Current Text Distribution
Meteorologist types forecast
Main Frame
Dispatcher Queue
Flights Metro Briefing Message
Flights Affected
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Upper Air Meteorologists
Monitors PIREPS for icing and turbulence Vo
lcano Activity Suggests Smoothest Flight L
evels
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Surface Desk

• Normal Operations
• 12 hour shifts
• 3 Shift change briefings with stations
• Dispatcher Briefings
• Planning briefs for the week/weekend
• TAFs
• 3x daily conference call w/NWS(FFC), CWSU
• Irregular Operations (IROPS)
• Provide additional products for
• Tropical activity
• Major snow storms

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Surface Products
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TAF Cities
LGA, JFK, EWR
BOS
SLC
CVG
PHL
DELTA TAF CITIES
DCA, IAD, BWI
LAX
ATL
MCO
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Delta TAF Example

• TERMINAL FORECAST
• ATL DL 231405 AMD 02 VALID 231405-240400 UTC
• FM231400 09010KT 2SM -RA FG OVC003 TEMPO 1SM
  -RA FG
  
• FM232000 17010KT 2SM -RA FG OVC008
• FM232200 29010KT 5SM -RA OVC010
• FM240000 31012KT 7SM OVC015
• DISCUSSION LOW CIGS WILL IMPROVE AFTER FRONT
  MOVES THRU AND WINDS BECOME WESTERLY.
  
• Extra fuel and alternates are needed when clouds
  are below 1000ft or visibility is below 2SM or
  thunderstorms are forecast.
  

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TAF Exemption - 8575

• - Reduces requirement for destination alternate
• - Ceiling and visibility requirement of 1,000ft
  and 2SM
  
• - Must maintain at least CAT I or CAT II approach
  capability
  
• ATL
• FM131100 VRB03KT 7SM SCT250
• FM131600 15005KT 7SM BKN200
• FM132300 16005KT 7SM OVC080
• FM140300 16006KT 5SM -RA OVC040
• FM140700 17006KT 3SM -RA OVC015
• FM141400 21006KT 4SM -RA OVC018

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Crosswinds - DCA
Runway 04/22 4911 feet Runway 15/33 5204 feet
Runway 01/19 6869 feet Our aircraft fleet gene
rally prefers 5500ft. Leaves operation on Runway
01/19 Strong winds from the west or east cause cr
osswind issues.
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DCA
KDCA 130539Z 1306/1406 30015G30KT P6SM SKC FM1312
00 30014G25KT P6SM SKC FM131500 31016G30KT P6SM F
EW050 FM132100 32014G22KT P6SM SCT050 SCT090 FM
140000 34010KT P6SM SCT090
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Deicing Chart
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Deicing Chart
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Hurricane Chart
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Deicing Chart
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Long Range Planning Forecast Day 1- 5
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Delta Meteorology Provides

• Flight Planning System uses GFS Wind forecast.
• Back-up source is UKMO.
• Also Supply
• Radar
• Satellite
• Lightning
• Charts
• Text Data (METARS, TAFS, SIGMETS, etc)

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AFDs

• Other products used
• MOS guidance
• ADDS page (java METAR display)
• CCFP discussions

• Clickable map
• Used in planning forecasts
• 3 day/5 day long range
• Verbal briefings

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Common Questions My weather radar/decing beca
me inop. Can I continue to my destination?
Will that broken line of thunderstorms become
solid? What does that unusual code in the TAF/
METAR mean? What is the best alternate?
What do you think about the SIGMET?
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Northwest Meteorology

• Provides weather support for the following
  customers Continental, Southwest, KLM, Alaska,
  Mesaba, Pinnacle, Compass, Micronesia and
  ExpressJet.
• Products for internal and external customers
  include
  
• 40-45 Scheduled TAFS
• TAFS on request
• Graphical Charts
• Turbulence Warnings
• Verbal Briefings with Dispatchers
• Deicing Charts

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