Definition
A category of pilot weather report (PIREP) used to relay weather conditions considered hazardous to flight, including tornadoes, funnel clouds, waterspouts, severe or extreme turbulence, severe icing, hail, low-level wind shear, volcanic ash, or any other weather phenomenon reported that is considered hazardous or potentially hazardous. Urgent PIREPs are transmitted by ATC and Flight Service immediately upon receipt and are designated with the prefix UUA.
Plain English
A pilot report describing dangerous weather a pilot has actually encountered. These reports are passed along right away because other pilots in the area need to know straight away.
Context Anchor
Seen in aviation weather discussions, Hazardous Inflight Weather Advisory Service broadcasts, flight service briefings, and reports passed by air traffic control.
Derivation
PIREP is short for Pilot Report. 'Urgent' comes from Latin 'urgere,' meaning to press or push. The name signals that the report needs to be acted on without delay, not filed for later review.
Why Pilots Care
They provide immediate warning of weather that can cause loss of aircraft control or structural damage.
Intuition Check
Urgent does not just mean generally important here. In this context, it means the pilot report contains hazardous weather information that should be spread quickly for flight safety.
Example Sentence 1
Approach passed along an urgent PIREP from a regional jet reporting severe turbulence at 12,000 feet over the ridge, so we requested a lower altitude.
Example Sentence 2
Pilots tuned to HIWAS heard an urgent PIREP describing embedded thunderstorms moving across the destination area.