Definition
In-flight messages issued by the National Weather Service to alert pilots of actual or forecast weather conditions that may affect the safety of flight. They include products such as AIRMETs, SIGMETs, Convective SIGMETs, and Center Weather Advisories, each covering specific hazards like turbulence, icing, thunderstorms, low visibility, or strong surface winds.
Plain English
Official warnings sent out during flight to tell pilots about weather that could be dangerous or important to know about right now.
Context Anchor
Pilots encounter weather advisories during preflight weather briefings, in aviation weather reports, and sometimes through updated weather information while already in flight.
Derivation
‘Advisory’ comes from the Latin advisare, meaning ‘to consider or give counsel.’ A weather advisory is exactly that: official counsel about weather conditions that the pilot needs to consider when making flight decisions.
Why Pilots Care
They allow pilots to adjust plans, delay departures, or choose alternate routes before encountering dangerous conditions.
Intuition Check
Do not read advisory as a casual suggestion. In aviation weather, a weather advisory is an official notice about conditions that may affect flight safety, even though it is not a clearance or command.
Example Sentence 1
Before departure, the pilot reviewed the weather advisories and noted a SIGMET for severe icing along the planned route.
Example Sentence 2
While airborne, the pilot heard updated weather advisories warning of building thunderstorms along the planned route.