Definition
An unscheduled in-flight weather advisory issued by an Air Route Traffic Control Center (ARTCC) meteorologist to alert pilots of existing or anticipated adverse weather conditions within the next two hours. It serves as a near-term, regional supplement to other in-flight weather advisories such as SIGMETs and AIRMETs.
Plain English
A short-notice weather warning put out by a meteorologist working at an air traffic control center, telling pilots about bad weather happening now or expected within the next couple of hours in that center's area.
Context Anchor
You may hear about a Center Weather Advisory from air traffic control while en route, or see it in aviation weather information before or during a flight.
Derivation
Center' here refers to the ARTCC (Air Route Traffic Control Center), the facility responsible for high-altitude en route traffic over a large region. 'Advisory' comes from Latin 'advisare,' meaning to consider or give counsel — so the term literally means a piece of weather guidance issued from a Center.
Why Pilots Care
It gives pilots timely notice of developing hazards so they can adjust route, altitude, or delay departure to avoid unsafe conditions.
Intuition Check
Do not read “Center Weather Advisory” as a general weather report from any weather center. In aviation, it means a specific short-term advisory tied to an Air Route Traffic Control Center’s airspace.
Example Sentence 1
Approach passed along a Center Weather Advisory warning of rapidly developing thunderstorms west of our route.
Example Sentence 2
Before takeoff we reviewed the latest Center Weather Advisory covering the coastal route.