Definition
Aviation weather forecasts issued for specific points along a route, typically the boundaries between flight information regions or international control areas, that predict expected wind, temperature, and other meteorological conditions at those points for use in flight planning across long distances.
Plain English
Weather predictions made for specific waypoints along a long route, used to plan what conditions an aircraft will meet as it crosses from one airspace region into another.
Context Anchor
Seen in airline operations, airport planning, and ground-delay discussions, especially at busy airports.
Derivation
A 'gate' here borrows the everyday sense of a passage point between two areas. In this context, the 'gate' is a defined geographic point where one airspace ends and the next begins, and the forecast describes the weather expected at that crossing point.
Why Pilots Care
Helps decide on actions such as de-icing, delaying pushback, or adjusting procedures to maintain safety during ground operations.
Intuition Check
Do not read “forecast” here as a weather forecast. In this term, it means a prediction of gate demand and gate availability.
Example Sentence 1
Before departure, the dispatcher reviewed the gate forecasts for each oceanic entry point along the planned route.
Example Sentence 2
While waiting at the gate, the pilot checked the latest forecast to confirm conditions for pushback.