Weather and Forecasts for Top 5 delay days for 2008
Weather exerts a disruptive influence on aviation, both in the terminal area and en-route air traffic flow. Weather-related delays tend to increase during the
convective weather season (approximately April through September), but winter weather can cause havoc throughout the national airspace system (NAS). Currently,
weather avoidance is largely done in real-time --> responding to existing weather hazards on a tactical basis rather than through planning ahead based on
anticipated weather (i.e., strategic decision). The chart on the left (which is updated daily) shows the impact of storms on aviation in terms of total delays for
all hubs shown in the map (below-right). This summer has seen a number of major
impact days and overall weather has been even more
disruptive in 2008 than it was last year. The goal of this work is to improve probabilistic storm nowcasts and incorporate this information in air traffic flow
planning to reduce air traffice delays.
