Wafs Sigwx Upgrade
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aorriWafs Sigwx Upgrade
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aorriWorld Area Forecast
System (WAFS)
SIGWX upgrade
November 2024
WAFS CHANGES COMING IN WITH AMENDMENT 82 TO ANNEX 3 ….
Multi-timestep WAFS Significant Weather (SIGWX) forecasts will be introduced into ICAO
Annex 3 with Amendment 82 (expected November 2025).
Important: WAFC London and WAFC Washington will be introducing the new SIGWX
forecasts 1 year early on 26 November 2024.
This will introduce some changes to the current T+24 SIGWX forecasts.
NEW WAFS SIGWX FORECASTS
Current SIGWX forecast are produced for T+24 only,
with new charts/data issued every 6 hours.
They are hand drawn by a team of meteorologists
The last time they changed was in 2008 when surface
fronts were removed.
NEW WAFS SIGWX FORECASTS
• New automated SIGWX
provision will be for T+6 to
T+48 at 3-hourly intervals, with
new data published every 6
hours.
• The new SIGWX will span FL100
to FL600
NEW WAFS SIGWX FORECASTS
The new SIGWX forecasts will
contain:
• Jet stream information
• Tropopause height as contours
• Areas of OCNL or FRQ CB (no
embedded CB’s)
• Areas of MOD and SEV
turbulence areas will be forecast
based on the grided WAFS
Turbulence Severity field (which
is CAT + orographic turbulence
types)
NEW WAFS SIGWX FORECASTS
The new SIGWX forecasts will contain:
• Areas of MOD and SEV icing (with
global coverage
• Information on active volcanic
eruptions, tropical cyclone positions
and radioactive releases.
Note: tropical cyclone markers will only be
shown up to and including T+24.
WHY CHANGE THE SIGWX?
Benefits of the new SIGWX forecasts:
• Need forecasts which are better suited to the needs of the aviation industry
particularly for short haul and long-haul flights.
• The gridded WAFS data and SIGWX data sets will be consistent with each other
• Designed for digital use, where users will be able to control the content that is shown
on their screen (e.g. toggling layers on and off, changing time-steps)
• Movement and evolution of features with time can be seen
SIGWX forecasts for a particular validity time will be available with a longer lead time
and using more up to date model data.
NEW WAFS SIGWX FORECASTS
The new SIGWX data will be provided in IWXXM
format. The schema has been developed and
approved by WMO
https://schemas.wmo.int/iwxxm/2023-
1/WAFSSigWxFC.xsd
NEW WAFS SIGWX FORECASTS
The new SIGWX data will only be available via the SADIS API and WIFS API.
Information on the APIs, including how to sign up:
SADIS:
https://www.metoffice.gov.uk/services/transport/aviation/regulated/sadis/info/sadis-api
WIFS:
https://aviationweather.gov/wifs/
Note: Briefing quality charts will not be provided for the new SIGWX, but charts that can be used for cross-
checking/setup of systems will be available on the API’s.
NEW WAFS SIGWX FORECASTS
• If briefing charts are required, the user's
system/software should create these.
Benefits of this approach:
• User specific colour schemes, map areas,
and map projections can be applied
• Other features can be overlaid on the
SIGWX (e.g. flight paths, wind fields, or
other non-WAFS weather parameters.
WHAT ELSE IS AVAILABLE ON THE NEW SADIS
AND WIFS APIs?
• The new WAFS gridded data sets with a
higher resolution, more vertical levels and
more timesteps (including hourly intervals
from T+6 to T+24 and at 6-hourly intervals
out to T+120)
• “OPMET data” – e.g. TAF, METAR, SIGMET,
Volcanic Ash Advisories, Tropical Cyclone
Advisories, Space Weather Advisories in
traditional alphanumeric format and where
available IWXXM format.
IMPORTANT
On 26 November 2024 there will be changes to the existing T+24
forecast charts and BUFR data.
Please make your stakeholders and operators are aware of the
upcoming changes.
WHAT WILL CHANGE IN THE OLD T+24 SIGWX CHARTS?
Medium and High level T+24 “Paper copy” (.png) charts will still be provided via SADIS
FTP and WIFS until 2028. There will be some change in their content and appearance:
• They will be provided in colour!
• Embedded cumulonimbus cloud will not be included. This means that ISOL EMBD CB,
OCNL EMBD CB and FRQ EMBD will not be shown. Instead only OCNL EMBD CB and
FRQ EMBD CB will be forecast.
There will be more areas of OCNL CB forecast than they are now.
WHAT WILL CHANGE IN THE OLD T+24 SIGWX CHARTS?
• Clear Air Turbulence (CAT) areas will become “turbulence”. MOD and SEV
turbulence areas include turbulence due to CAT and orographic turbulence types
and if it is strong enough turbulence within non-convective clouds.
• Tropopause height will be shown as contours spaced at 5000ft vertical intervals.
Labels will be in the form FL300, FL350 etc.
• On the medium level SIGWX the in-cloud turbulence and icing areas will become
icing only areas.
Blue tropopause contours Purple icing areas with a new line style to make
easier to identify.
WHAT WILL CHANGE IN THE OLD T+24 SIGWX CHARTS?
• The high level SIGWX will change to span FL250 to FL600 (changing from FL250 to
FL630).
• They will be produced earlier than they are now (by approx. 1 hr)
• T+24 BUFR data files will continue to be provided via SADIS FTP and WIFS until
November 2026. They will reflect most of the changes that have been described for
the T+24 SIGWX charts, except:
• tropopause will still be in the form of spot heights.
• Icing objects will not go through cumulonimbus areas.
VERIFICATION
• The SIGWX forecasts are based on the WAFS gridded data sets
• Verification has been carried out to ensure the T+24 SIGWX is at least as good as the
current hand drawn one. The new SIGWX forecasts will get their final tuning soon.
• Verification of the turbulence, icing and cumulonimbus areas has been carried out
against processed satellite imagery and aircraft observations of turbulence.
• The new SIGWX is “tuned” to give the best verification scores (i.e. highest level of
skill) and is not trying to directly match the existing hand drawn SIGWX forecast.
Both WAFC’s are liaising with their State regulators to file a difference against the
applicable Annex 3 provisions to notify airspace users of the changes to the T+24
SIGWX forecasts during the period 28 November 2024 to November 2025 (when
Amendment 83 to Annex 3 becomes effective).
IMPORTANT
It is important to prepare for the upcoming SIGWX
changes now.
Please share the flyer with your State regulator,
airlines, operators, flight planning organisations and
others in the aviation industry to make them aware
of the upcoming changes – especially the changes to
the T+24 SIGWX charts
Further information
https://www.metoffice.gov.uk/services/transport/aviation/regulated/wafs-2023
WAFC London will be running 3 webinars which will cover the same material as this
presentation. Please share the sign-up links below with the operators, flight planning
companies and other relevant stakeholders in your State.
Webinar Date Sign-up link
23 July 2024 https://events.teams.microsoft.com/event/8970440d-1bb7-4212-
08:00 - 09:00 UTC b1a7-266b8e710ada@17f18161-20d7-4746-87fd-50fe3e3b6619
6 August 2024 https://events.teams.microsoft.com/event/3e0a2ae6-4f5b-4585-
15:00 - 16:00 UTC a83a-924e57806d9d@17f18161-20d7-4746-87fd-50fe3e3b6619
8 August 2024 https://events.teams.microsoft.com/event/3c45eddc-956f-4744-
08:00 - 09:00 UTC 90c3-9786dbd5c946@17f18161-20d7-4746-87fd-50fe3e3b6619
Thank you for listening
For further information contact:
[email protected]
or
[email protected]
If you already use SADIS or WIFS please contact the provider of the system you currently use.
