WAFS Internet File Service (WIFS)
The World Area Forecast System (WAFS) Internet File Service (WIFS) provides approved users with access to aviation-related weather information required to support international air traffic management and flight operations. The United States (US) and the United Kingdom (UK) share in the local distribution of WAFS products and operational meteorological (OPMET) information through WIFS (US) and SADIS (UK).
WIFS is jointly managed and operated by the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the National Weather Service (NWS) Aviation Weather Center (AWC). WIFS users must meet certain eligibility requirements (see Eligibility Requirements below) and be approved by the ICAO State and FAA WIFS Approving Official before accessing WIFS. Once the user access has been approved, the AWC will provide a user name and password to the applicant which will be required to access the data.
Eligibility Requirements
Access to WIFS is granted on a case-by-case basis as outlined in the WIFS User Guide (Section 4). In general, authorized users of WIFS shall meet one or both of the following requirements.
- Applicant performs international flight operations.
- Applicant supports international flight operations by providing and/or developing aviation weather information for such operations (i.e. flight document folder).
Access to the WIFS data requires a user name and password or an API key.
Datasets
WIFS hosts the following aviation weather products intended for international flight planning and documentation in accordance with ICAO Annex 3, Meteorological Service for International Air Navigation.
WAFS Gridded Data
0.25-degree horizontal resolution
- Wind U/V - 56 vertical levels from FL050 to FL600
- Temperature - 56 vertical levels from FL050 to FL600
- Geospatial Height - 56 vertical levels from FL050 to FL600
- Relative Humidity - 14 vertical levels from FL050 to FL180
- Tropopause height and Tropopause temperature
- Max wind height, and max wind u/v
- Icing Severity - 26 vertical levels from FL050 to FL300 Turbulence Severity - 36 vertical levels from FL100 to FL450 Cumulonimbus Extent, Base and Top
1.25-degree horizontal resolution
- Wind U/V – 17 vertical levels from FL050 to FL530
- Temperature – 17 vertical levels from FL050 to FL530
- Geopotential Height – 17 vertical levels from FL050 to FL530
- Relative Humidity – 5 vertical levels from FL050 to FL180
- Tropopause height and Tropopause temperature
- Max wind height, and max wind u/v
- T+06 to T+24 at 1-hourly intervals
- T+27 to T+48 at 3-hourly intervals1
- T+06 to T+36 at 3-hourly intervals
Levels
| 0.25-degree horizontal resolution parameter | Vertical level |
|---|---|
| Wind (u and v components), temperature, and geopotential altitude | FL050 to FL600 at 1000ft vertical intervals Humidity FL050 to FL180 at 1000ft vertical intervals |
| Flight level and temperature of tropopause | These are not provided for specific levels |
| Maximum wind (u and v components) and height of maximum wind | These are not provided for specific levels |
| Icing severity | FL050 to FL300 at 1000ft vertical intervals |
| Turbulence severity | FL100 to FL450 at 1000ft vertical intervals |
| CB horizontal extent, CB base, and CB top | These are not provided for specific levels |
A limited selection of data is available based on a latitude/longitude regular grid at a 1.25° x 1.25° horizontal resolution for those unable to process those fields at the higher resolution and these are summarized in table 3. These parameters are available for 6, 9, 12, 15, 18, 21, 24, 27, 30, 33 and 36 hours after the time (0000, 0600, 1200, 1800 UTC) of the synoptic data on which the forecasts were based.
| 1.25-degree horizontal resolution parameter | Vertical levels |
|---|---|
| Wind (u and v components), temperature, and geopotential altitude | FL050, FL080, FL100, FL140, FL180, FL210, FL240, FL270, FL300, FL320, FL340, FL360, FL390, FL410, FL450, FL480, FL530. |
| Humidity | FL050, FL080, FL100, FL140, FL180 |
| Flight level and temperature of tropopause | These are not provided for specific levels |
| Maximum wind (u and v components) and height of maximum wind | These are not provided for specific levels |
Significant Weather (SigWx)
WAFC London and WAFC Washington produce forecasts of global SIGWX four times daily. SIGWX forecasts are designed to be used for situational awareness. The following parameters are included in the forecasts:
- Jet Stream information (speed, direction, and height)
- OCNL CB and FRQ CB
- MOD and SEV Turbulence
- MOD and SEV Icing
- Flight level of tropopause
- Tropical cyclones, sandstorms, volcanic eruptions and the release of radioactive material into the atmosphere
The SIGWX forecasts encompass the air space that lies between FL100 and FL600 and are produced for fixed valid times of 6, 9, 12, 15, 18, 21, 24, 27, 30, 33, 36, 39, 42, 45 and 48 hours after the time (0000, 0600, 1200, 1800 UTC) of the synoptic data on which the forecasts were based. These forecast data sets should be available at approx. 06:00, 12:00, 18:00 and 00:00 UTC.
Significant Weather (SIGWX) BUFR and PNG Charts
Upper-air aviation charts that include jet stream locations, clear air turbulence, thunderstorm, and tropopause height. BUFR and PNG charts are produced for fixed valid times of 24 hours after the time (0000, 0600, 1200, 1800 UTC) of the synoptic data on which the forecasts were based. These forecast data sets should be available at approx. 06:00, 12:00, 18:00 and 00:00 UTC.
SIGWX BUFR WMO Headers
| WMO Header | Description |
|---|---|
| JUBE99 EGRR | WAFC LONDON CUMULONIMBUS CLOUDS FL250-FL630 |
| JUBE99 KKCI | WAFC WASHINGTON CUMULONIMBUS CLOUDS FL250-FL630 |
| JUCE00 EGRR | WAFC LONDON CLEAR AIR TURBULENCE FL250-FL630 |
| JUCE00 KKCI | WAFC WASHINGTON CLEAR AIR TURBULENCE FL250-FL630 |
| JUFE00 EGRR | WAFC LONDON SURFACE FRONTS |
| JUFE00 KKCI | WAFC WASHINGTON SURFACE FRONTS |
| JUJE00 EGRR | WAFC LONDON SURFACE FRONTS..LIMITED AREAS |
| JUJE00 KKCI | WAFC WASHINGTON SURFACE FRONTS..LIMITED AREAS |
| JUME00 EGRR | WAFC LONDON CLEAR AIR TURBULENCE FL100-FL450 |
| JUME00 KKCI | WAFC WASHINGTON CLEAR AIR TURBULENCE FL100-FL450 |
| JUNE00 EGRR | WAFC LONDON CLOUD..ICING..TURBULENCE FL100-FL450 |
| JUNE00 KKCI | WAFC WASHINGTON CLOUD..ICING..TURBULENCE FL100-FL450 |
| JUOE00 EGRR | WAFC LONDON TROPOPAUSE HEIGHT FL100-FL450 |
| JUOE00 KKCI | WAFC WASHINGTON TROPOPAUSE HEIGHT FL100-FL450 |
| JUTE00 EGRR | WAFC LONDON JETSTREAM FL100-FL450 |
| JUTE00 KKCI | WAFC WASHINGTON JETSTREAM FL100-FL450 |
| JUTE97 EGRR | WAFC LONDON TROPOPAUSE HEIGHT FL250-FL630 |
| JUTE97 KKCI | WAFC WASHINGTON TROPOPAUSE HEIGHT FL250-FL630 |
| JUVE00 EGRR | WAFC LONDON Volcanoes, Tropical Cyclones, Sandstorms |
| JUVE00 KKCI | WAFC WASHINGTON Volcanoes, Tropical Cyclones, Sandstorms |
| JUWE96 EGRR | WAFC LONDON JETSTREAM FL250-FL630 |
| JUWE96 KKCI | WAFC WASHINGTON JETSTREAM FL250-FL630 |
SIGWX PNG WMO Headers
| WMO Header | Description |
|---|---|
| PGAE05 KKCI | ICAO Area H Significant Weather FL250-FL630 |
| PGBE05 KKCI | ICAO Area I Significant Weather FL250-FL630 |
| PGDE29 KKCI | ICAO Area M Significant Weather FL250-FL630 |
| PGEE05 KKCI | ICAO Area A Significant Weather FL250-FL630 |
| PGGE05 KKCI | ICAO Area F Significant Weather FL250-FL630 |
| PGIE05 KKCI | ICAO Area B1 Significant Weather FL250-FL630 |
| PGJE05 KKCI | ICAO Area J Significant Weather FL250-FL630 |
| PGNE14 KKCI | North Atlantic Significant Weather FL100-FL450 |
Volcanic Ash and Tropical Cyclone Advisories (PNG)
Graphics of volcanic ash produced by the nine Volcanic Ash Advisory Centers across the world. They are transmitted as PNG graphics. The same applies for tropical cyclone advisories even though at this time only advisories from Japan are provided.
Operational Meteorology (OPMET) Messages
- Traditional Alphanumeric Coding (TAC)
Alphanumeric messages consisting of routine aviation weather reports (METAR and SPECI), terminal aerodrome forecasts (TAFs), en-route hazardous weather warnings of significant meteorological information (SIGMETs), pilot reports (PIREP), volcanic ash advisory messages (VAA) messages, and tropical cyclone advisory (TCA) messages.
- International Weather XML Exchange Format (IWXXM)
Traditional OPMET products including METAR/SPECI, TAF, SIGMET, VAA and TCA are now being encoded in IWXXM format and being made available in a product by product basis and assembled into a compressed Unix tar file. Most products are in the latest available version (3.0). Here is a list of the WMO header prefix used by each product:
| WMO Header | Description |
|---|---|
| LA, LP | METAR and SPECI |
| LC, LT | TAF short and long range |
| LS, LV, LY | SIGMET general, volcanic ash and tropcial cyclone |
| LU | Volcanic Ash Advisory (VAA) |
| LK | Tropical Cyclone Advisory (TCA) |
| LW | AIRMET |
Support
WIFS is available for use 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Between the hours of 7:00 am and 3:00 pm US Central Time, Monday through Friday, live WIFS technical support is provided by the Aviation Weather Center. To contact AWC WIFS technical support, use the following link or toll-free phone number.
Open a help desk ticket
Phone: +1 (877) 280-2811
Please also take a look at frequently asked questions for information about common inquries.
If a message is sent to the WIFS Help Desk outside of normal hours, users can generally expect a response within three business days. If users require immediate help outside of WIFS Help Desk hours they should contact the NWS Telecommunications Operations Center Help Desk at +1 (301) 713-0902.
WIFS Troubleshooting
| Symptom | Probable Cause | Actions to Take |
|---|---|---|
| Data out of date, cannot be retrieved, or is not being properly displayed on the missing on the workstation | WAFS data retrieve process failed | Test the internet connection (Note 1) |
| Check the data retrieve log file for errors (Note 2) | ||
| Contact the WAFS workstation support team | ||
| Data on WIFS is out of date | Test the internet connection (Note 1) | |
| Browse to the WIFS online file list and check to see if data is up to date (Note 3) | ||
| If data is out of date send an email to wifs.admin@noaa.gov and contact the NWSTG to report the problem (Note 4) | ||
| There is a WIFS data ingest problem | Check the Advisories page for new advisories pertaining to data outages. | |
| If data is out of date send an email to wifs.admin@noaa.gov and contact the NWSTG to report the problem (Note 4) |
- To test your internet connection, try the following URL in a browser: "https://aviationweather.gov". If the browser opens the page, you have a working internet connection. If it is not, contact your system administrator or your Internet Service Provider for assistance.
- If you don't know where this file is or how to access it, contact the WAFS Workstation Support Team (reference the WIFS Vendor POC Information list below).
- In your browser type in the following URL: https://aviationweather.gov/wifs/data. Click on the appropriate category and find the data you are looking for. Take note of the file name with the latest date/time.
- The National Weather Service Telecommunications Gateway (NWSTG) Helpdesk phone number is (301) 713-0902.
WIFS Vendor POC Information
GST - Global Science and Technology | IPS MeteoStar |
IES - Info-Electronics Systems | Morcom International |
Campbell Scientific France (Ex COROBOR Systems) | IBL Software Engineering |
MFI - Meteo France International | NetSys International (Pty) Ltd |
WIFS Status
| On time | Pending | In progress | Delayed | Late |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| >4:35 | >5:00 |