MET notes

Warm front – Veer with Alt

Cold front – backs with atl
WARM OCCLUSION (Win in Eur) COLD OCCLUSION (Sum in Eur)
Coldest air behind of front Coldest air ahead of front
WOCA warm occul cold ahead COCB cold occul cold behind

FL50 850hPa
FL100 700
FL180 500
FL240 400
FL300 300
FL340 250
FL390 200
FL410 150

ITCZ
Sum – North equator (0° - 25N) Win – South equator (up to 30°)
Freezing level at 15000’

Geostrophic wind Gas

Parralel to isobars
LH

LH
ED
D
BE

AS

AB
RE
R

LE
SO

Vaporisation Condensation Depostion Sublimation

SO
LE
RE
AB

RB
AS
LH

LH

ED

ED

Freezing

Liquid LH RELEASED
Solid
LH ABSORBED
Melting

Moonson
Winter— wind N/NE — Dry continental air
Sum — wind SW — hot/humid maritime air

Tornado
Speed up to 300kts — average mvt speed 20 to 40kts – spring/sum – Average diameter 100-150m
WAT - West Africa Tornado – squall line created by atmos waves

Stability
Absolute stability : ELR less than 1,8°/1000’ — ELR<SALR<DALR
Absolute instability : ELR + 3°C/1000’ — SALR<DALR<ELR
Conditional instability : ELR btw 1,8°C and 3°C/1000’ — SALR<ELR<DALR
 MET notes
Neutral stability : Dry air ELR = DALR Saturated air ELR=SALR

Polar Front Depression

Sum – closer to pole Mvt W – E
Win – closer to equator

True Alt = Ind Alt + (ISA dev)

Satellites
IR sat – detect heat – hard to detect low-level clouds/fog

Visibility
ICAO report steps of 30m (100’) up to 600m (2000’) Locate weather in areas with no or few obs stations

Lowest Highest
FG (0.2/0.5mm) 0m – 1000m
+SN -(1mm) 50m – 200m
DR (0.2/0.5mm) 500m – 3000m
+RA (0.5/5.5mm) -1000m
Mod SN +-1000m
MIST 1000m 5000m
Mod RA 3000m – 5000m
Precipitation
Ice pellets (PL)– less than 5mm
Hail (GR) – 5 to 50mm
Rain (RA) - 0.5 to 5.5mm
Rime ice – small
Clear ice – large (most dangerous)
 MET notes
Bergeron process = water droplets urn to ie by sublimation

Orographic fog (hill fog/upslope fog) = moist air lifted on windward side and stable air
= disappears wind direction changes or downslope wind
or by solar radiation

TRS
Atlantic / Eastern Pacific Indian ocean Western Pacific (Aust.) S.Hemis
Hurricanes Cyclones Cylcones (Willy Willy)
17.7x/year (6major) Occasionnally Occasionnally 5 West – 9 East
JU-NO DECA DECA

Western Pacific/South china sea N.Hemis

Typhoons
High occurrence 20x/year
JU-NO

15 -20min 20-30min 30min-3h

No precip Heavy precip falling Precip continues
Strong updraughts Updraughts/downgraughts Downdraughts
GREATEST intensity appearance of anvil

Jet stream
Polar front Sub tropical Equatorial Artic
North of the surface systems
Core found in the tropical air mass Sum 40-45N or 30S FL 450 – 500 FL200-250
Average height FL300 Win 25-40N or 40S
Fastest over japan FL400 - 70-200Kts

Easterly
sum FL450 NH ONLY

50 – 200NM behind cold

300-500NM ahead warm
 MET notes
Obscuration
Mist (BR), Fog (FG), Smoke (FU), Volcanic Ash (VA), Dust (DU), Sand (SA), Haze (HZ)

SIGMET
issued by Met watch office / Dangerous met conditions

Westerlies (changeable weather)

Sum = Higher incidence of thunderstorms
Win = More intense cyclones and colder air

DEFINITON
QNH defined as QFE reduced to MSL using values of standard atmos
 MET notes

WARM FRONT Before PASSAGE

S/SE wind back/increase
cool/cold slowly warming
pressure falling
gradualy lower clouds CI CS AS NS ST fog
Continous light precip from AS, continuous moderate from NS ; sleet/drizzle
Visi reducing to poor

COLD FRONT before passage

Backing/increase
Steady temp falling rapidly close to frontal surface
steady decrease
ST/SC then NS/CB
light rain/snow from ST/SC – showers close to frontal surface
Visi Fair to poor (haze/fog/mist/drizzle)

AIR MASS
Cooled from below Stable Heated from Below Unstable (CB, turb, good visi)
Less Water vapor Stable More water vapor Unstable

MONSOON
SW = Sum in africa/india/SE Asia
NE = Win NH
NW = Sum SH

Roaring forties = 40/50S

WIND
HARMATTAN
NE over Sahara affecting W/NW Africa NOV-APR Dust and sand storms

BRAZIL
warm water current flows S

GULF STREAM
warm altantic ocean current originates at the tip of Florida followind eastern coastlines of USA

LABRADOR
cold current in N.Atlantic flowing from artic ocean south along coast of Labrador and passes around NewFoundland
Heavy fog / moving at 15knots

FOEHN or KATABAIC
downslope warmer dan drier

FRICTIONAL WIND
 MET notes
depends on stability /windspeed / roughness

WINDSHEAR
express in Kt/100ft

Around HIGH Around LOW

Wind gradient GREATER than geostrophic wind Wind gradient LOWER than geostrophic wind
MET notes
 MET notes

Cold Front
Winds veer and increase with height

Squall Line
In Front of cold front

ACARS
TAF/METAR from ground to aircraft

Bergeron

Mixed phase clouds supercooled + ice

Collision

water drops collide to form bigger one

causes formation of rain
up downdraught movt increase
mid lat ONLY drizzle or light rain

SIGMET
convective = TS osbcured by massive layers of clouds
Issued for Heavy Dust Storm

AC airframe worst icing conditions = Btw -20 to -30°C

Greatest windshear on jet stream = polar side of the core