National Weather Service United States Department of Commerce

Back-to-Back Winter Storms Across the North-Central U.S.; Severe Weather Threat in the Midwest

A late-season winter storm continues to bring heavy snow, significant sleet, and disruptive icing to the Upper Midwest and western Great Lakes into the morning; and will be followed by another storm. Severe thunderstorms continue across the Midwest to the lower Great Lakes through tonight, before bringing a round of freezing rain and sleet Friday morning across northern New England. 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