Definition
Unscheduled forecasts issued by the National Weather Service to alert pilots in flight of the actual or potential development of hazardous weather. They include AIRMETs, SIGMETs, and Convective SIGMETs, each addressing different categories and severities of weather hazards along a route or within a forecast area.
Plain English
Weather warnings sent out specifically to pilots while they are flying, telling them about dangerous weather happening now or expected soon. Different types of advisories cover different kinds of hazards, from moderate turbulence and icing up to severe thunderstorms.
Context Anchor
Seen in preflight weather briefings, en route weather updates, and FAA weather discussions covering hazards such as thunderstorms, icing, turbulence, and low visibility.
Derivation
"Advisory" comes from the Latin advisare, meaning to consider or give counsel. The word signals guidance for decision-making rather than a command — an advisory tells you what's out there so you can decide what to do about it.
Why Pilots Care
They let pilots change course or altitude early to avoid weather that could damage the aircraft or endanger the flight.
Grounding Statement
If the weather ahead may be dangerous, an inflight weather advisory is one way the aviation weather system tells pilots to pay attention and make a safer plan.
Intuition Check
An advisory is not just a casual suggestion here. It is an official aviation notice about weather that may affect flight safety.
Example Sentence 1
Approaching the front, the controller passed along an inflight weather advisory for moderate icing between 8,000 and 12,000 feet.
Example Sentence 2
After receiving an inflight weather advisory for severe turbulence, the crew requested a lower altitude.