Book 7, Question 142
Why Do Pilots and Sailors Need Forecasts?
Airplanes and ships travel for hours across big open spaces, and weather changes along the way. Pilots and sailors need to know about wind, waves, clouds, and storms before they leave. Bad weather can change a whole route, and that is why they need forecasts!
From the book
Page from A Million Whys Book 7
More fun facts
- National Weather Service offices issue more than 4,000 aviation forecasts every day.
- The Aviation Weather Center makes more than 8,000 maps and charts a day about thunderstorms, icing, and turbulence.
- Airport forecasts cover the area within 5 miles of the airport for the next 24 to 30 hours.
- Pilots send in their own reports of turbulence and icing, called PIREPs.
- Sailors use nautical miles and knots, which match the latitude lines on their charts.
- Weather forecasts help airlines route planes around dangerous storms every day.
Sources: NOAA, National Weather Service, NOAA Ocean Service
Questions kids ask
How many aviation forecasts are made each day?
National Weather Service offices issue more than 4,000 every day.
Do pilots report the weather?
Yes. Their reports of turbulence and icing are called PIREPs.