Aviation Weather Handbook

This important Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Handbook updates and consolidates information previously available in six different Advisory Circulars:


AC 00-6, Aviation Weather

AC 00-24, Thunderstorms

AC 00-30, Clear Air Turbulence Avoidance

AC 00-45, Aviation Weather Services

AC 00-54, Pilot Windshear Guide

AC 00-57, Hazardous Mountain Winds

Pilots and dispatchers must understand all aspects of weather. The ability to appreciate good weather, recognize and respect marginal or hazardous weather, and avoid violent weather as well as make sound weather decisions is critical for successful outcomes of all flights. This book examines each aspect of weather as it relates to aircraft operation and flight safety and introduces the tools available for flight planning and inflight weather decisions, including observations, analyses, and forecasts.

This updated edition reflects key changes for today’s pilots with improved accuracy, modernized terminology, and updated weather products. Coverage is expanded to include enhancements to aviation weather services and global forecasting tools, updates to turbulence and forecast products (including GTG-N and NDFD), and alignment with current National Weather Service guidance. New content is added on icing, radar interpretation (including chaff), and space weather, while outdated tools are replaced with modern resources, such as the Graphical Forecast for Aviation (GFA), giving pilots access to the most relevant, real-world weather information available today.

The information in this handbook applies to students, experienced pilots, and flight instructors alike and offers a key reference for meteorology and weather services applicable to FAA Knowledge Tests and airman certification. This comprehensive weather resource addresses flight safety in both visual (VMC) and instrument (IMC) meteorological conditions. Subjects covered also include meteorology; mountain, tropical, and arctic weather; observations (ASOS, AWOS, METAR, PIREP, radar); advisories (including AIRMET, SIGMET, wind shear); forecasts (TAF, FA); and much more.

Examples and explanations are supported with online references for further weather resources, definitions, and related FAA publications along with detailed, full-color drawings and photographs throughout.