SIGMETs

This page covers:

 SIGMETs: Significant Icing and/or Turbulence advisories

 CONVECTIVE SIGMETs: Significant Convective Weather advisories

 CONVECTIVE OUTLOOKs: Forecasts of potential Convective Weather

SIGMET

Turbulence

Icing

SIGMETs are Inflight Weather Advisories for Significant Meteorological hazards. A SIGMET is "widespread" in that it covers an area of at least 3,000 square miles. Note that the particular hazard may be present in only a
small portion of the area at any particular time.

A SIGMET may be issued at any time, and has a maximum forecast period of 4 hours (6 hours for hurricanes). Each forecast area will issue a separate SIGMET if any part of the weather hazard is within the forecast area.
These forecast areas in the continental US) correspond to the FA Area Forecast locations: SFO/San Francisco, SLC/Salt Lake City, CHI/Chicago, DFW/Dallas-Fort Worth, BOS/Boston, and MIA/Miami. Alaska, Hawaii issue
their own SIGMETs.

SIGMETs are issued for:

 Severe Icing (not associated with thunderstorms -- otherwise, it is a Convective SIGMET)

 Severe Turbulence (similarly, only if not associated with thunderstorms)

 Duststorms and sandstorms lowering visibility to less than three miles

 Volcanic Ash

In Alaska and Hawaii, SIGMETs are also issued for tornadoes, a line of thunderstorms, embedded thunderstorms, or hail greater than or equal to 3/4 inch.

Because the issued area is very large, PIREPs are useful to see current conditions in the area.

CONVECTIVE SIGMET
 Source: NOAA AWC Aviation Digital Data Service

Convection

Convective SIGMETs are issued for severe convective activity, which implies severe turbulence, severe icing, and low-level wind shear. Specifically:

 Embedded thunderstorms

 A line of thunderstorms

 Thunderstorms with heavy precipitation affecting 40%+ of an area at least 3,000 square miles

 Surface winds 50+ knots due to severe thunderstorm

 Hail 3/4+ inches in diameter

 Tornadoes

A Convective SIGMET is issued every hour (at H+55) for each of three continental US regions (Alaska and Hawaii only issue SIGMETs.) If no convective SIGMET is forecast then the region issues "CONVECTIVE
SIGMET...NONE". AvnWx.com does not display "None" Convective SIGMETs.
Because they are issued every hour, AvnWx.com may show more than one Convective SIGMET at the same time. Also, given some overlap in reporting regions, you may notice a two advisories issued by two regions (say,
West and Central) repeating most of the same information. Check carefully, because often there are slight differences between the advisories.

CONVECTIVE OUTLOOK

Convection

If the CONVECTIVE SIGMET contains only forecast information, it is called an Outlook. Convective Outlooks provide some information in the text, but refer to reader to the most recent ACUS01 KWNS from the Storm
Prediction Center. ("ACUS01" is the one-day (01) anticipated convection (AC) report; "KWNS" is the station id for Norman, Oklahoma Storm Prediction Center. This report is available as the One Day Outlook at NOAA.
Outlook forecast are valid for up to 2 hours.

SIGMETs and AIRMETs are available from Enroute Flight Advisory Service (EFAS, better known as Flight Watch) on 122.0MHz (high altitude frequencies differ). In addition to Flight Watch, weather advisories are provided
with standard Pre-Flight Briefing from AFSS or 1-800-WX-BRIEF.