ASOS myopically reports conditions when unattended. It won’t spew out random observations, but it can’t be counted on for an accurate and complete picture in all situations.
The ASOS blind spot
Key Takeaways:
- ASOS provides an incomplete and often inaccurate picture of weather conditions due to sensor limitations, such as failing to detect drizzle (including critical freezing drizzle indicative of icing) or only reporting one precipitation type at a time.
- A crucial "lockout period" each hour prevents ASOS from issuing special weather reports (SPECIs), meaning significant and rapidly changing weather conditions occurring during this time are recorded but not disseminated to pilots or forecasters.
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