The Montis Weather Observation System (MWOS) debuted in 2024 and already is at 15 locations across Alaska, as well as several in the Lower 48, with plans to increase that to 100 by the end of 2026.
Weather
Picture of the Day: A Good Day To Stay On The Ground
David Hayes submitted this photo and note: “Weather at Orlando Executive Airport (KORL) recently.”
Picture of the Day: Scary storm
Gary Lanthrum submitted this photo and note: “Flying home from EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2025 back to the Seattle area I encountered lots of thunderstorms. Many required significant re-routing, but this one let me fly my intended track about 10 miles from the nasty bits. The storm had a well-defined edge that stayed to the north of me. I watched closely for any signs of expansion in my direction. It was my lucky day. I made it to Aberdeen, South Dakota, for the night without incident.”
Coloring the weather
New graphics enhancements have debuted on 1800WxBrief.com, designed to give pilots access to enhanced weather graphics that offer clearer and more comprehensive data to support flight planning and decision-making, according to FAA officials.
Questions from the Cockpit: Freezing follies
I knew that, with heat, humidity “makes it worse.” A dry 95℉ in the Western deserts feels altogether different than a humid 95℉ in the South. But I didn’t make the mental connection that the same phenomenon might exist at the other end of the thermometer.
The day the sky fell
When Hurricane Helene hit western North Carolina, airports along the storm’s path were flooded, airplanes were destroyed, and the clean-up process continues months after the storm.
Slipping the surly bonds of ice
When Lancair pilot Matt Johnson was told to descend by ATC, he complied, then found his airplane was picking up ice. He remembers thinking about “how insane it was that I descended into ice-filled clouds from blue sky, no traffic within a hundred miles of me, just because some guy told me to.”
Preflight planning gets safety boost with FAA weather cams
The FAA provides more than 600 camera sites throughout the United States with 230 FAA sites in Alaska. Another estimated 360 cameras operate in North America as third-party systems, such as those installed by NAVCanada and the states of Colorado and Montana. The camera images are updated every 10 minutes to give pilots a view of the latest weather.
FAA weather cameras go live in Maine
The FAA is now hosting 18 camera sites in Maine on its Weather Camera website, with plans to add more sites through 2023.