Definition
A weather observation taken or supplemented by a certified human weather observer, used to add or correct elements that an automated weather system cannot reliably detect, such as thunderstorms, tornadoes, virga, or specific cloud types. At airports with automated systems like AWOS or ASOS, an observer weather report augments the machine-generated data with human judgment.
Plain English
A weather report made or improved by a trained person, rather than only by automatic sensors. The person watches the sky and adds details the machines might miss.
Context Anchor
Seen in discussions of automated airport weather systems, where a human observer may add information to an automated observation.
Derivation
Observer comes from Latin observare, meaning to watch or pay attention to. The term simply marks that a human is watching the weather, not just the sensors.
Why Pilots Care
Human observers can note conditions like visibility restrictions or special phenomena that automated systems may miss, affecting flight planning and safety decisions.
Intuition Check
Do not read observer weather as just “weather someone happened to notice.” In this FAA context, it means weather information supplied or checked by a qualified observer as part of the official airport weather report.
Example Sentence 1
The ASOS reported clear skies, but the observer weather added a remark about distant thunderstorms to the south.
Example Sentence 2
The observer weather included details on fog formation that the AWOS did not detect.