1. Center Weather Service Unit CWSU ZFW Support of Air Traffic Operations
Douglas Reno

2. Fort Worth Air Route Traffic Control Center (ARTCC)

3. Birth of the CWSU Program:
Southern Airlines crash 04 April 1977
NTSB Recommendation to FAA:
NTSB-AAR-78-3 dated 26 January 1978
Weather Support to be provided from NWS with On-site Meteorologists

4. 20 CWSU’s in the CONUS (1 in Alaska)
3 Meteorologists 1 Meteorologist-in-Charge
Two shifts per day
(Normally…one forecaster per shift)
(ZFW: 5:30am – 9:30pm…overtime as needed)
Two formal briefings per day: 7:00am / 3:00pm

6. ZFW High Altitude Sectors: FL240 & Above

7. ZFW Low Altitude Sectors: Below FL240

8. Fort Worth ARTC Center
DFW TRACON Arrival and Departure operations.

9. ZHU Arrivals 7am – 9pm

10. Terminal & En-Route Operations
Fort Worth ARTCC
Terminal & En-Route Operations
END
TUL
16 Radar Approach Control Facilities
6 VFR Towers
85 Airports With Instrument Approaches
Average annual total traffic for 2008: 1,785,885
CSM
OKC
FSM
CVS
LTS
FSI
ADM
SPS
LBB
TXK
GVT
DFW
HOB
MLU
ABI
GGG
SHV
MAF
POE
ACT
SJT
(MAF)
GRK

11. Tools / Products we use (Developed in-house)
Plotter, PP Tools, Climate Program
WARP – Weather and Radar Processor
AWIPS –
Advanced Weather Interactive Processing System
N-AWIPS
ITWS – Integrated Terminal Weather System
METARs, TAFs, AFDs
SPC / HPC / AWC / TPC products

13. Right click
on metar
to display
list of observations

14. Display of convective sigmets

15. Display of Airmets

16. WARP Generated Radar Mosaic with Standard Instrument Departure Overlay

17. WARP Generated Echo Tops FL300 and Above

18. Integrated Terminal Weather System ITWS

19. Products / Services
Participate in CCFP Collaborative Convective Forecast Product Internet chat: every 2 hours Prepare CWSU / WFO FWD Coordination Discussion Prepare Center Weather Advisories – CWA Solicit / Disseminate PIREPS

22. DFW Weather & Airport Acceptance Rates
CIGS VSBY ARRIVALS/HR IMPACT
(AAR)
> > No ARTCC problems
Limited or no visual approaches
/ In-trail spacing needed (MIT)
< <1/ Significant delays (MIT GDP)
Other Weather Conditions
TSRA Variable delays (MIT GDP GS)
FZRA/FZDZ/SN Delays for de-icing (MIT GDP GS)
WINDSHIFTS Up to 30 minutes of ground/airborne
delays to switch runways.
CROSSWINDS
20-24KT Miles in Trail (MIT)
>25KT < MIT GDP

23. CWSU / WFO FWD Coordination Discussion
ZCZC FTWWRKZFW
TTAA00 KFTW
FORT WORTH CWSU AVIATION DISCUSSION Z CONCERNS...WND TRENDS. EXP WNDS TO DECOUPLE NEXT HR...W/ GSTS DMSHG AND SUSTND SPDS CONTG NR 12-15KT. SPDS DMSHG TO AOB 10KT AFT 06Z. NW WNDS CONTG WED 8-12KT BCMG LGT NW NEAR END OF TAF AS SFC HI PRES BLDS ACRS CNTRL TX. OTRW...VFR/FEW-SCT MID CLDS BCMG SKC BY 03Z.
DFW AIRPORT ACCEPTANCE RATE..114.
DFW WX DELAYS/ACFT...NONE.
IMPORTANT NUMBERS FOR DFW (Timing of onset/ending very important)
CIGS VSBY ARRIVALS/HR IMPACT
>4000 > No ARTCC/TRACON problems
Limited or no visual approaches
/ In-trail spacing needed
<200 <1/ Significant delays
TSRA variable delays
FZRA/FZDZ major delays for de-icing WINDSHIFTS--up to 20 minutes of ground/airborne delays to switch rwys.
 NNNN

24. CWA – Center Weather Advisory
Valid up to 2 hours
Convection (for ZFW…normally 1 hour)
Turbulence
Icing
IFR / LIFR
Low-Level Wind Shear
Coverage by: Area, line, point

25. Solicit / Disseminate Pilot Reports

26. FAA Strategic Plan of Operations
Teleconference held every two hours…
Input from CCFP
Input from forecaster…
especially routes affected by thunderstorms
Potential for LIFR (Ceilings < 005/Visibility < 1SM)
Potential for significant crosswinds (>= 25 knots)

27. FAA Delay Programs GDP – Ground Delay Program (> 2 hours)
Implemented when airport demand exceeds airport capacity (acceptance rate) for a lengthy period of time (IFR/LIFR, TS, Crosswinds)
GS – Ground Stop (1-2 hours)
Implemented when airport demand exceeds
airport capacity (acceptance rate) for a short period.
Prior to implementing a GDP
When airport cannot accept aircraft

28. Playbook example: BNA

29. Playbook example: BYP 2

30. Playbook example: CQY

32. Fort Worth CWSU Homepage

33. End
Questions?