Definition
An aviation weather forecast covering general weather conditions over a wide region, typically several states, valid for a specified period. It describes expected cloud cover, cloud bases and tops, precipitation, visibility, icing, turbulence, and freezing levels across the forecast area. Used by pilots to get the broad weather picture between specific airport forecasts.
Plain English
A weather forecast for a large area rather than a single airport. It tells you what to expect across a whole region during your flight.
Context Anchor
Seen during preflight weather planning and in older FAA weather study material.
Derivation
Combines 'area,' referring to a broad region, with 'forecast,' meaning a prediction of future weather.
Why Pilots Care
Allows pilots to anticipate weather changes over their intended route and make go/no-go decisions.
Intuition Check
Do not read “Area Forecast” as just any local weather forecast. In aviation, it means a broad forecast product for flying conditions across a large region.
Example Sentence 1
The Area Forecast showed scattered thunderstorms developing across the southeast that afternoon, so she filed an alternate route to the north.
Example Sentence 2
Area forecasts are updated several times a day and cover large sections of the country.