Ceiling and Visibility Dashboard help
Overview
The Ceiling and Visibility (C&V) dashboard provides a user-friendly interface displaying the start and end times of impactful flight category, ceiling, and visibility information out to 36 hours for the Core 29 airports and San Mateo Bridge (SMB) within the National Airspace System (NAS). The data displayed on the dashboard is sourced from the Localized Aviation MOS Program (LAMP) text bulletins produced by the Meteorological Development Laboratory (MDL). LAMP provides statistically-calibrated forecast guidance for ceiling and visibility. More information on LAMP can be found here. Designed as a decision support tool, the C&V dashboard is meant to aid in efficient air traffic planning and improves operational efficiency across the NAS.
The data displayed in the first 6 hours is updated every 15 minutes, with subsequent updates occurring every hour for the entirety of the 36 hour period. The dashboard also incorporates the latest airport observations to enhance situational awareness, enabling users to compare current conditions and track trends in model accuracy. Probabilistic information is included for each individual airport by selecting one for users needing to delve deeper into the data according to their individual needs and expertise.
The C&V dashboard is designed for Traffic Flow Management (TFM) and Air Route Traffic Control Center (ARTCC) Traffic Management Units (TMU) to monitor airport terminal conditions within the National Airspace System (NAS). It also supports traffic managers at TRACON locations and National Aviation Meteorologists at the Command Center in Washington D.C. The dashboard’s national scope and intuitive features are valuable across these groups, helping ensure safety and efficiency.
The dashboard presents information for each airport (top to bottom) over a 36-hour period, displayed from left to right. Each airport's data is shown as horizontal bars that represent flight category, ceiling, or visibility information, with the bars changing color to reflect conditions over time. The ceiling and visibility are used together to classify the flight category as VFR, MVFR, IFR, and LIFR (see table below). This set of rules is commonly used throughout the aviation industry. These bars are color-coded according to a scheme consistent with the flight category and C&V information found within the Graphical Forecasts for Aviation (GFA). The dashboard also highlights the latest observed flight category with a colored circle to the left of the first forecast time, matching the corresponding color for flight categories and the legend. If the flight category is VFR (Visual Flight Rules), no color will be displayed.
Flight Categories (IMC)
| Impact | Category | Ceiling | Visibility | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Extreme | VLIFR | below 200 feet AGL | and/or | less than 1/2 mile |
| High | LIFR | below 500 feet AGL | and/or | less than 1 mile |
| Medium | IFR | 500 feet to below 1000 feet AGL | and/or | 1 mile less than 3 miles |
| Slight | MVFR | 1000 feet to 3000 feet AGL | and/or | 3 to 5 miles |
| None | VFR | greater than 3000 feet AGL | and | greater than 5 miles |
The C&V dashboard offers several customizable features to cater to the diverse needs of its users. The ID search bar allows the user to type in specific airports that alter the dashboard to display information only at those identified locations (see below). The "Parameter" dropdown offers the option to view different impact criteria, such as flight category, ceiling, or visibility. This feature helps users assess whether ceiling, visibility, or both are affecting the flight category. Additionally, the "Time Range" slider lets users dynamically adjust the temporal display from 6 hours of 15-minute data to 36 hours of hourly data by dragging it left or right to view data over a specific period.
Examples:
4 letter ICAO id's for Airports
- KJFK
- ksfo, klax, klas, kphx
- KBOS,KTEB,KJFK,KLGA,KEWR,KPHL,KIAD,KDCA,KBWI,KCLT,KATL,KTPA,KMCO,KMIA,KFLL,KDTW,KBNA
3 letter ARTCC id's
- @zma (displays all airports within Miami Air Route Traffic Control Center)
- @TOP (will display core 29 airports and SMB airport)
NOTE: must include '@' as a precursor.
2 letter state identifiers
- @IL (will display all airports in Illinois)
NOTE: must include '@' as a precursor.
To enhance the interpretation of onset and cessation times, hovering over the horizontal bars triggers a pop-up window that displays both the start and end times for the flight category, ceiling, or visibility conditions. This feature helps users easily identify the precise timing of C&V condition changes.
Selecting an individual airport provides a detailed view of the flight category, ceiling, and visibility information for that specific location. The deterministic flight category, ceiling, and visibility are displayed similarly to the main dashboard view. Additionally, probabilities for explicit ceiling and visibility thresholds are shown as a stacked histogram, following the same color scheme as the dashboard. For the first 6 hours, the bars represent the probability of each threshold condition or worse occurring at any time during the 15-minute period. From forecast hour 7 to hour 36, the probability of each threshold condition or worse occurring at the top of each hour.
Probabilistic information is designed to convey the uncertainty that exists in the forecast. Unlike a deterministic forecast, which provides a single, fixed prediction, probabilistic data offers a range of potential outcomes, helping users understand how conditions may evolve over time. This type of information complements deterministic forecasts by illustrating the likelihood of different scenarios, allowing users to better assess the uncertainty and make more informed decisions based on varying possibilities.
The LAMP probabilities are derived from multiple linear regression equations that take various predictor variables such as the most recent observation, Model Output Statistics (MOS), parameters from the sub-hourly HRRR, and others and relates them to the worst ceiling and visibility conditions over a 15 minute period. For the hourly data, a similar process is used where the regression equations relate the top of the hour observation to the same predictor variables.
Example:
If the 15 minute probabilities and deterministic forecast of ceilings at 1900z are:
- Deterministic forecast: IFR
- < 3000 ft (MVFR): 78%
- < 2000 ft: 61%
- < 1000 ft (IFR): 43%
- < 500 ft (LIFR): 13%
What does it mean? There is a very high chance ceilings will drop to below 2000 ft at some point between 1900z - 1915z. The most likely scenario is that ceilings will drop to below 1000 ft at some point in the 15 minute span.
What about hourly data? If the above example applied at 22z, the most likely scenario would be expected at the top of the hour.
What has changed recently?
The entire site was overhauled in October 2023. For information about the most recent updates, please see the change log.
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The interactive Graphical Forecasts for Aviation observation tab displays METARs along with other current data including surface fronts and radar imagery. To view METARs alone, click on the Layers button at the top right corner of the map and deselect items you do not wish to view. Decoded METARs can be displayed by enabling the "decoded METARs" option in the Map Options under the gear icon on GFA.
Raw and decoded textual METAR data can be displayed by selecting the Products dropdown and selecting METAR data.
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Satellite and radar imagery are available on the observations tab of the interactive Graphical Forecasts for Aviation, that displays surface observations, imagery, fronts, and more in one place. Satellite imagery is an optional layer available from the layer selector in the upper right corner of the map. To display satellite or radar imagery alone, deselect items on the layer selector to simplify the display.
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Sign up for an account on our registration page, select PIREP Submit Access, and be sure to include your airman's certificate number or affiliation with an airline, flight school, government or military organization for validation purposes to streamline the process. Accounts are validated via the FAA Airmen Inquiry.
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How do I access the Flight Path Tool?
The flight path tool is now embedded into the interactive Graphical Forecasts for Aviation map. Click on the route button along the right side of the map to open the display. Enter the airports to navigate, and select the product you wish to display from the dropdown. Watch a video on how to use the cross sections here.
Where is the HEMS (Helicopter Emergency Medical Services) tool?
The HEMS tool has been integrated into the interactive Graphical Forecasts for Aviation. Click on the helicopter button in the upper right part of the map to switch GFA from general aviation mode into low-altitude mode, which offers similar features as the HEMS tool.
What happened to ADDS?
The ADDS static graphics were phased out and replaced with the Graphical Forecasts for Aviation, which offers greater flexibility and configurability; some static graphics continue to be available for decision support. The ADDS Text Data Server has been succeeded by the Data API. Please let us know if you need assistance with the migration.
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The METAR and TAF data pages provide access to raw, tabular, and decoded output that automatically refreshes every five minutes. The page is designed for quick lookups and printability.
Where is the Text Data Server? How do I download METARs?
The Text Data Server was discontinued and has been replaced by the Data API. The new data offerings are more flexible and provide more data. Interfaces designed for greater compatibility with the Data Server to ease the transition as well as cache files to retrieve many reports at once are also available.
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The METAR data page displays up to the previous 96 hours of observations. The Archive View allows viewing nearly all products on the site as they were presented for up to the past two weeks. For data more than 14 days old please reference the resources available on bottom of the Archive View page.
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