Plain English Meaning

Weather updates sent to your cockpit display while you're flying, so you can see things like radar images, forecasts, and pilot reports without calling anyone on the radio.

Full Definition

Weather information transmitted to the cockpit in flight through a digital communications link, typically via satellite or ground-based broadcast, and displayed on a panel-mounted unit, multifunction display, or portable device. Common products include radar imagery, METARs, TAFs, AIRMETs, SIGMETs, PIREPs, and winds aloft. Most data link weather is delivered with a time delay and is intended for strategic planning rather than avoidance of individual storm cells.