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:

A systematic "forecast funnel" approach is crucial for aviation weather forecasting, starting with large-scale upper-air patterns before progressively focusing on localized details.
Upper-air charts (e.g., 300mb, 500mb) are interpreted to identify major features like the jet stream, polar vortex, subtropical ridges, and troughs, which dictate broad weather patterns and wind conditions.
Surface charts complement upper-air analysis by revealing isobars, air mass temperatures (thickness lines), and pressure systems, allowing forecasters to understand frontal boundaries, cold air damming, and predict specific surface weather developments.

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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.