National Weather Service United States Department of Commerce

Snow in the Great Lakes; Windy Conditions in the East

Lake effect snow will impact the Great Lakes region through the day. Gusty winds will pick up across the Midwest, Northeast and Mid-Atlantic beginning this afternoon following a cold front. Elevated fire weather conditions will persist across the Desert Southwest today, with critical fire weather conditions developing Wednesday and Thursday in the Southern Plains. Read More >

Pilot and Aircraft Reports

An Aircraft Report is a report of actual weather conditions encountered by an aircraft while in flight. There are two types of reports. An AIREP is a routine, often automated report of in-flight weather conditions such as wind and temperature. A PIREP is reported by a pilot to indicate encounters of hazardous weather such as icing or turbulence. Both are transmitted in real-time via radio to a ground station.

PIREPs and AIREPs are encoded differently. AIREP format is more common outside the contiguous U.S. even though there are some AIREPs over the CONUS. The location is specified by latitude and longitude which is better for international routes. PIREPs are preferred over the CONUS where the location is based on distance and direction to a known Nav Aid such as a VOR.

 

Go to PIREPs page at AWC