Decision Making Regarding Aircraft De-Icing and In-Flight Icing Using the Canadian Airport Nowcasting System (CAN-Now) 2011-38-0029

The Canadian Airport Nowcasting Project (CAN-Now) has developed an advanced prototype all-season weather forecasting and nowcasting system that can be used at major airports. This system uses numerical model data, pilot reports, ground in-situ sensor observations (precipitation, icing, ceiling, visibility, winds, etc), on-site remote sensing (such as vertically pointing radar and microwave radiometer) and off-site remote sensing (satellite and radar) information to provide detailed nowcasts out to approximately 6 hours. The nowcasts, or short term weather forecasts, should allow decision makers at airports such as pilots, dispatchers, de-icing crews, ground personnel or air traffic controllers to make plans with increased margins of safety and improved efficiency. The system is being developed and tested at Toronto Pearson International Airport (CYYZ) and Vancouver International Airport (CYVR). A Situation Chart has been developed to allow users to have a high glance value product which identifies significant weather related problems at the airport. Some new products combining observations and numerical model output into nowcasts are being tested. This talk will describe the uses of the system for decisions regarding aircraft de-icing at the ground and in-flight icing over the airport. Some statistical verifications of forecast products regarding precipitation amount, precipitation type, in-flight icing, etc, will be given.