Definition
An urgent pilot weather report (PIREP coded UUA) is a firsthand report from a pilot in flight describing weather conditions considered hazardous enough to require immediate dissemination to other pilots and controllers. UUA reports are issued for any of the following observed conditions: tornadoes, funnel clouds, or waterspouts; severe or extreme turbulence (including clear air turbulence); severe icing; hail; low-level wind shear; volcanic ash; and any other weather phenomenon reported that is considered by the controller or specialist to be hazardous to flight operations. UUA is contrasted with UA, the routine PIREP code used for non-urgent observations.
Plain English
A UUA is a pilot's in-flight report of weather bad enough that other pilots need to hear about it right away. It gets pushed out fast because the conditions could be dangerous — things like severe icing, severe turbulence, hail, wind shear, or a tornado.
Context Anchor
Seen in aviation weather briefings, flight planning tools, and in-flight weather displays when recent pilot reports are listed.
Derivation
PIREP combines 'pilot' and 'report.' The single-letter difference between UA (routine) and UUA (urgent) is the system's way of flagging which reports must move quickly — the extra 'U' stands for 'urgent.'
Why Pilots Care
They deliver real-time observations of hazards that may not yet appear in forecasts, directly influencing route, altitude, and diversion decisions.
Grounding Statement
A PIREPs/UUA entry means another pilot has recently reported weather serious enough that you should treat it as a current safety warning.
Intuition Check
Urgent does not mean the reporting pilot has declared an emergency. Here it means the weather report itself needs quick attention because it may affect safety.
Example Sentence 1
Center issued a UUA reporting severe turbulence at FL340 over the ridge, so we requested a lower altitude before entering the area.
Example Sentence 2
Reviewing the latest PIREPs/UUA helped the pilot choose a higher altitude to avoid reported turbulence.