Valley of the Fogs

On a recent trip to Richland, Wash. (KRLD), my destination was forecast to have ceilings at 900 feet at the time of my arrival. That is doable IFR for me if there is no ice. During my TAF trend analysis, I saw that both Moses Lake, Wash. (KMWH), and Pendleton, Ore. (KPDT), had TAFs predicting VFR conditions, making them legal IFR alternates. I chose Pendleton because it was more convenient.

Key Takeaways:

• Pilots must continuously monitor weather trends for IFR alternates, as VFR conditions can rapidly deteriorate to IFR en route, especially in areas prone to localized fog and inversions.
• Paying attention to weather "forensics" (TAF trend analysis) enables pilots to anticipate worsening conditions and formulate backup plans before committing to an approach.
• Foggy winter days in specific regions, such as eastern Washington and Oregon valleys with inversions, can quickly turn VFR alternate airports into IFR conditions.

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