WSI’s Aviation Forecasting Group consists of operational aviation forecasters that currently deliver forecast services to American Airlines, US Airways, Jet Blue, and several regional airlines. WSI’s aviation meteorologists have met rigorous education and aviation experience requirements to part of the forecasting team. The Group’s products and services are designed to meet the Principle Operations Inspector’s (POI) handbook on Enhanced Weather Information Services (EWINS) and have been approved by the FAA. The end result is a team operating as a seamless part of our customers’ day-to-day operational staff.

WSI’s Aviation Forecast Group performs routine and ongoing forecasting verification of the group’s forecasts. Forecasts are compared to actual reported conditions and forecasts generated by the National Weather Service (NWS). The group boasts statistically better results over the NWS in a number of weather forecasting aspects. This constant stream of quality control information is used internally for process improvement and delivered to our clients as monthly reports.

Worldwide Flightplan Guidance and Enroute Hazards Forecasts

Leveraging research from WSI’s Precision Forecast R&D group and proprietary forecast editing tools, WSI’s Aviation Forecast Group produces enroute forecast guidance including SIGMET advisories and gridded turbulence indicators for ingestion directly into an airline’s flight planning system.

WSI has an enhanced turbulence forecast product, which among other guidance information uses the Graphical Turbulence Guidance (GTG) algorithm based upon WSI’s version of the high resolution WRF numerical weather prediction model. Other forecasts available include enroute icing, using a WRF based Forecast Icing Potential (FIP) algorithm, convective hazards, volcanic ash alerts, and advisories for dust or sand storms.

WSI’s Aviation Forecast group continuously verifies and refines its forecasts on a 24x7x365 basis using global Pilot Reports (PIREPS) and other relevant data such as high-resolution radar and satellite imagery. This approach ensures the accuracy and integrity of the forecast and helps minimize the number of false positives and thus unnecessary and costly flight diversions.

Terminal Area Forecasts (TAFs)

WSI’s Aviation Forecast Group also leverages R&D and proprietary forecast editing tools to produce TAFs as well as hourly forecasts of key weather parameters that impact airport and operational capacity. WSI’s Aviation Forecast Group continuously verifies and refines the terminal forecast using available observations and recent forecast performance indicators. WSI also makes hourly terminal forecasts available via its WSI Hubcast™ service. WSI Hubcast presents these forecasts in easy to decipher views with clear visual alerts based upon operational thresholds such as Airport Arrival Rates (AAR). As another WSI industry first, WSI Hubcast also clearly shows whether the forecast for the most recent 3 hours has verified or not. Available parameters include ceiling, visibility, wind speed, wind direction, precipitation type and rate, convective risk, and AAR.