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Home Dashboard Guide

Understanding the aviation weather dashboard and what each section tells you about current conditions.

Overview

The home dashboard gives you a quick snapshot of current aviation weather conditions across the United States. Instead of needing to dig through technical weather reports, you can see at a glance how many weather advisories are active and what types of conditions are being reported.

The dashboard updates automatically every few minutes, pulling data from the same sources that pilots and dispatchers use. A green "Live" indicator in the header shows that the data is current, and you can see exactly when it was last refreshed.

Hazard Cards

The main section of the dashboard shows five cards, each representing a different type of aviation weather information. Each card displays a count of how many reports or advisories are currently active:

PIREPs

Pilot Reports

Real-time reports from pilots currently in flight. These are the most current source of actual weather conditions, submitted by pilots who have just experienced them.

What the card shows: Total number of active pilot reports, with breakdowns by turbulence severity and whether any are marked urgent.

SIGMETs

Significant Meteorological Alerts

Official warnings for significant weather hazards that could affect flight safety. These are issued by the Aviation Weather Center for conditions like severe turbulence, icing, or convective activity.

What the card shows: Count of active domestic SIGMETs with a breakdown by hazard type (convective, turbulence, icing, etc.).

G-AIRMETs

Graphical Airmen's Meteorological Information

Graphical forecasts for weather conditions that may affect flights but are less severe than SIGMET-level hazards. These cover larger areas and are updated regularly throughout the day.

What the card shows: Number of active G-AIRMET areas with breakdown by condition type (turbulence, icing, IFR conditions, etc.).

International SIGMETs

International Significant Meteorological Alerts

Weather warnings for areas outside the continental United States. These cover oceanic routes and international airspace.

What the card shows: Count of active international SIGMETs with hazard type breakdown.

CWAs

Center Weather Advisories

Short-term forecasts issued by Air Route Traffic Control Centers (ARTCCs) for conditions developing in their airspace. These fill the gap between current PIREPs and longer-term forecasts.

What the card shows: Number of active CWAs with breakdown by advisory type.

Interactive Cards

Each card is interactive. Click on the large number to go directly to the map filtered to show that type of weather data. If you see a turbulence or urgent badge on a card, clicking it will open the map filtered specifically to those conditions. You can also expand any card to see more detailed statistics.

Severity Breakdown

Each hazard card includes a colored bar showing the distribution of conditions by severity or type. For pilot reports, this shows how many reports fall into each turbulence intensity category:

NEG(Negative (None))

No turbulence reported. The pilot flew through the area and experienced smooth air.

LGT(Light)

Minor bumps. Very common and nothing to be concerned about.

MOD(Moderate)

Definite bumps. Seatbelt should be fastened. Flight attendants may pause service.

SEV(Severe)

Strong bumps. Rare. Pilots actively avoid and will change altitude or route.

EXT(Extreme)

Very rare. Pilots take immediate action to exit these conditions.

For other hazard types like SIGMETs and G-AIRMETs, the breakdown shows the distribution by condition type - such as convective (thunderstorms), turbulence, icing, or IFR (low visibility) conditions.

Urgent Alerts

Urgent PIREPs Banner

When pilots submit urgent reports about significant weather conditions, a special alert banner appears at the top of the dashboard. These reports highlight areas where pilots have recently encountered notable turbulence or weather.

If you see this banner, it means there are active reports of significant conditions somewhere in the system. You can click the banner to go directly to the map filtered to show these urgent reports.

Urgent reports are relatively rare. Most flights encounter only light or occasional moderate turbulence. When significant conditions are reported, pilots and dispatchers work together to route flights around them.

Quick Actions

At the bottom of the dashboard, you will find quick action buttons that take you directly to common views:

Assess Route

Opens the route assessment tool where you can enter your flight details and get a personalized turbulence forecast.

Full Map

Opens the interactive map showing all weather data layers. Great for exploring conditions across a region.

Turbulence

Opens the map filtered to show only turbulence-related reports and advisories.

SIGMETs

Opens the map focused on domestic SIGMET areas - the most significant weather hazards.

G-AIRMETs

Opens the map showing G-AIRMET forecast areas for broader weather conditions.

CWAs

Opens the map displaying Center Weather Advisory areas for developing conditions.

Staying Informed

  • Check before your flight: Look at the dashboard a day before and again a few hours before your flight to see if conditions are changing.
  • Use the trending chart: If you see activity decreasing over time, conditions may be improving. Increasing activity might mean weather is developing.
  • Focus on your route: High national counts do not necessarily mean your specific route is affected. Use the Route Assessment tool for personalized results.
  • Context matters: A few SIGMETs on a stormy day is normal. The dashboard helps you understand what is typical versus unusual.

Remember that seeing weather advisories is normal - there is almost always some weather activity somewhere in the country. The dashboard helps you understand the overall picture so you know what to expect, not to cause alarm. Pilots and airlines have extensive tools and training to navigate around significant weather.