Brief Like a Weather Pro

Step into an aviation forecaster’s shoes and see how it’s done.

Tim Vasquez

Thursday, June 26, 2025 at 08:00 AM ET

Verified

Edited By:

Travis Tingle

The 300 millibar chart is used for hemispheric work at jet stream level. [Courtesy: AWIPS-II / Tim Vasquez]

Key Takeaways:

Pilots should adopt a "forecast funnel" approach to weather forecasting, beginning with large-scale upper-air patterns (e.g., 300 mb charts) to understand the overall atmospheric framework.
Upper-air charts are crucial for identifying key features like the jet stream, polar vortex, subtropical ridge, and various troughs and ridges, which directly influence large-scale weather patterns and potential areas of bad weather.
Surface charts, when analyzed in conjunction with upper-air dynamics, help pinpoint specific air masses, fronts, and surface pressure systems, allowing forecasters to predict localized weather phenomena and enhance flight safety.

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Since I began my column over 10 years ago in IFR Magazine, I’ve strived to write as though you’re with me in the weather operations center.

During most of my Air Force career, I worked as an aviation forecaster. For many years, this was a constant succession of four days on, three days off, with rotating shifts. After driving to work, we would begin a shift-change briefing. If this was in the morning, the entire weather station would participate. If it was evening, the events would be more relaxed, with just me and the outgoing forecaster reviewing things.