National Weather Service United States Department of Commerce

Lowell to Impact Hawaii; Heat Persists in the South-Central U.S.

Hurricane Lowell is forecast to pass west of Kauai`s coastal waters tonight. Impacts such as high surf and heavy rain could impact all of the islands. Sweltering heat remains across the South-Central Plains and Lower/Middle Mississippi Valley into this week with limited nighttime relief. Periods of moderate to heavy rainfall will be possible through Tuesday morning in the northern Rockies. 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