Thunderstorm Products
Thunderstorms are depicted on Air Force Weather graphical products using the following symbols and colors. These representations are defined in MIL-STD-2525B, Common Warfighting Symbology.
Thunderstorm-Convective Areas: Convective weather symbol may be distributed over
the zone with the height of the thunderstorm top or the prevailing visibility over the
symbols.
CONVECTIVE WEATHER |
|
Criteria |
Shading/Solid Bounded |
Tornadoes and severe thunderstorms |
RED |
Severe thunderstorms—hail >/= ¾" and/or winds >/= 50 kts |
BLUE |
Moderate thunderstorms—hail ½"-5/8" and/or gusts 35-49 kts |
GREEN |
General thunderstorms—hail < ½" and/or gusts< 35 kts |
ORANGE |
Graphic Products A complete list and all AFWA forecaster-machine products can be found on the Joint Air Force and Army Weather Information Network (JAAWIN) at: http://weather.afwa.af.mil. AFWA produces a Hemisphere Convective product analysis and 12, 24, 36, and 48-hour forecasts
Thunderstorm Coverage: Total Area Effected (TAA) implied 1-hour maximum coverage.
Geographical Coverage |
DD Form 175-1 |
Coverage |
MWA Contraction |
01-24% |
01-02% |
Isolated |
ISOLD |
25-49% |
03-15% |
Few |
FEW |
50-74% |
16-45% |
Scattered |
SCT |
75-100% |
46-100% |
Numerous |
NMRS |
Military Weather Advisory. The Military Weather Advisory (MWA) is a graphic depicting possible severe weather and is updated every 6-8 hours. Use the contents of this advisory strictly as a preflight aid to identify areas of severe weather Thunderstorm areas are enclosed by dashed lines and identified by block letters. Aircrews should always reference the MWA before every flight! Aircrews can also receive periodic updates from enroute advisory services (i.e. PMSV, ATC, EFAS, etc.).
AFWA and OWS Military Weather Advisory (MWA)
| Product | Weather Parameters | Threshold Values |
| Military Weather Advisory (MWA) AFWA CONUS (3 times daily) OWS OCONUS (2 times daily)
MWA Outlook Convective (once daily)
MWA Weekend Outlook-Thursday & Friday, Tornadoes and Severe Thunderstorms only (48/72/96 hour) |
Tornadoes. Thunderstorms. Non-convective Winds. Precipitation. |
Tornado. Severe thunderstorms (hail > ¾" and/or winds > 50 kts. Moderate thunderstorm (hail ½"- 5/8" and/or gusts 35-49 kts). General thunderstorm (hail < ½" and wind gusts < 35 kts). Surface winds > 35 kts, not associated with thunderstorms. Heavy rain (> 2" in < 12 hrs). Heavy snow (>2" in < 12 hrs). Freezing precipitation. Blizzard. |
The following is an example of an AFWA produced MWA for CONUS followed by the associated text description.
Example of AFWA Produced MWA for CONUS
MWA FURTHER OUTLOOK 26B FORECAST DISCUSSION
VALID 270600Z TO 280600Z APR 01
CONVECTIVE DISCUSSION:
AREA 1...BLUE...MODELS INDICATE A LEE-TROUGH WILL DEVELOP TOMORROW AFTERNOON ACROSS THE NRN HI PLAINS. TEMPS ARE XPC TO CLIMB INTO THE 80S WITH DEWPOINTS CLIMBING INTO THE UPPER 40S TO NEAR 50, THAT WILL RESULT IN SIGNIFICANT AIR MASS DESTABILIZATION WITH CAPES FCST NEAR 1500 J/KG AND LIFTED INDICES NEAR MINUS -6. CONVERGENCE ASSOCAITED WITH DEVELOPING LEE -TROUGH WILL RESULT IN TSTM DEVELOPMENT ACROSS THE NRN HI PLAINS SPREADING EWD INTO CNTRL SD/ND/NE. GIVEN FCST UNSTABLE CONDITIONS AND VERY STEEP MID-LVL LAPSE RATES, TSTMS WILL BE CAPABLE OF PRODUCING LARGE HAIL. LOCATIONS AT GREATEST RISK: ENTIRE AREA
AREA 2...ORANGE
US EAST OF THE ROCKIES...COLD FRONT MOVING ACROSS THE GREAT LKS/UPPER MS VALLEY TODAY WILL STALL ACROSS THE MIDDLE MS VALLEY ON FRIDAY. DAYTIME HEATING IN COMBINATION WITH WEAK LOW-LVL CONVERGENCE INVOF FRONT MAY SUPPORT ISOLD CONVECTION ACROSS THIS REGION.
WRN US...MOISTURE WORKING NWD FROM MEXICO WILL COMBINE WITH DIFFERENTIAL HEATING IN THE MTNS TO PRODUCE DIURNAL SHOWERS AND TSTMS. FCST CAPE VALUES ARE NEAR 500 J/KG RANGE AND LIFTED INDICES BETWEEN -2 TO -4. IN ADDITION, FCST DRY MICROBURST POTENTIAL INDEX FOR FRIDAY ARE BETWEEN 15 AND 20, INDICATING POTENTIAL FOR WIDESPREAD DRY MICROBURST ACTIVITY. AREA WILL BE MONITORED FOR POSSIBLE UPGRADE...
OWS Graphic Products. OWSs will develop graphic products to support operations in its AOR Complete OWS product lists are displayed on its web page.
OWS LOCATION WEBSITE
11 OWS Elmendorf AFB, AK http://weather.elmendorf.af.mil/
15 OWS Scott AFB, IL https://15ows.scott.af.mil/
17 OWS Hickam AFB, HI Not Available at print time
20 OWS Yokota AB, Japan http://www.yokota.af.mil/orgs/weather/
25 OWS Davis Monthan, AFB, AZ https://25ows.dm.af.mil/
26 OWS Barksdale, AFB, LA https://26ows.barksdale.af.mil/
28 OWS Shaw AFB, SC https://28ows.shaw.af.mil/
USAFE Sembach AB, GE https://ows.sembach.af.mil/
NOTE: Websites subject to change, see Flight Information Handbook for current data.
Example of OWS Produced MWA for USAFE
Point Weather Warning (PWW). PWW information can be found through AFWA or OWS web sites. Like MWAs, PWWs are an advice/guidance tool and what the aircrew is briefed may be different than what is depicted on the graphic. AFWA issues PWWs when a hazard may occur within 5 nm of a specific point. Colors depict the type of PWW issued. Clicking on the dot will show the PWW text.
Color |
Description |
| Red | Tornadoes |
| Blue | Severe thunderstorms:
|
Green |
Moderate Thunderstorms:
|
| Orange | General Thunderstorms
|