National Weather Service United States Department of Commerce

Severe Weather in the Central Plains; Heavy Rainfall in the Tennessee Valley; Critical Fire Weather in the West

Scattered severe storms capable of large to very large hail, severe wind gusts, and a few tornadoes will be possible across the central Plains this evening. Heavy to excessive rainfall may bring a flooding threat from the Great Lakes to the Mid-South through tonight. Hot, dry and windy conditions will continue to bring a critical fire weather threat from the Southwest into the Great Basin. 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