Online Weather

There are countless weather sources on the Internet, some authoritative, some not so. Let’s take a look at one reader favorite.

Tim Vasquez

Tuesday, May 07, 2024 at 08:00 AM ET

Verified

A color-coded matrix summarizes hazards along our San Diego to Dallas route.

Key Takeaways:

Modern aviation weather briefings have evolved from traditional phone/FSS services to advanced digital tools and apps, offering pilots richer, visual data for pre-flight planning.
The article highlights EZWxBrief as an example of a progressive web app that provides detailed insights into flight routes, showcasing potential hazards like icing, winds, and visibility through interactive plots and dashboards.
Pilots can leverage various high-resolution models and static weather imagery (e.g., HRRR, HREF radar forecasts) for comprehensive nowcasting and short-range planning, though the author stresses the need for careful interpretation and cross-referencing with official sources.

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Years ago, a weather briefing meant dropping into a Flight Service Station or calling a toll-free number to get a rundown on the aviation forecast. While you still have the option to get a briefing by phone, and it certainly leaves that all-important paper trail, the information age means that you can enrich your briefing with all of the same tools that weather briefers have and actually see the problems you’ll be dealing with. And with mobile apps, there’s a clear convenience factor.

Some of the popular apps include ForeFlight, Garmin Pilot, AeroWeather, WeatherSpork, and Windy. There are also good charts on AviationWeather.gov, an underrated resource but a solid one; in fact I have their surface chart open every day in one of my browser tabs. We covered some of AviationWeather.gov in the December 2023 issue of IFR.