Section
13. Severe Weather
Management
17-13-1. GENERAL
a. On
a national basis, the AT
system is most susceptible
to thunderstorm activity
between April and October.
Thunderstorms create a
major disruption to the
normal and organized
movement of air traffic
and significantly increase
the workload in an
impacted facility. To meet
this challenge, System
Operations has charged the
ATCSCC to deal directly
and independently with
severe weather problem
areas.
b. When
the potential exists for
severe weather which will
cause a disruption to
normal traffic movements,
the ATCSCC will implement
procedures designed to
optimize the use of the
available airspace.
Strategic planning is an
integral part of severe
weather management and the
responsibility of all
involved.
c. Facilities
will be called upon to
favor and accept traffic
that is not normally
routed through their area.
In the interest of a
balanced flow and to
minimize delays, we expect
air traffic facilities to
accept this alternate
flow. All facilities are
expected to participate
and cooperate when called
upon. A properly
developed, coordinated,
and implemented plan will
result in the better use
of available airspace.
17-13-2. DUTIES AND
RESPONSIBILITIES
The
ATCSCC must be the final
approving authority for
alternate routes and
initiatives that transcend
center or terminal
boundaries.
a. The
ATCSCC must:
1. Be
responsible for severe
weather management
operations.
2. Ensure
coordination is completed
to implement TM
initiatives in support of
severe weather management.
3. Conduct
a daily operations
critique with affected
facilities and system
customers, as
appropriate.
4. Receive
and evaluate facility
requests for alternate
routes and initiatives to
avoid severe weather.
5. Coordinate
with appropriate
facilities and customers
to determine the need for
developing alternate
routes and initiatives to
avoid severe weather.
6. Coordinate
alternate routes with all
affected facilities.
7. Transmit
advisories defining severe
weather areas and
alternate routes.
8. Conference
all affected facilities
and system users to
apprise them of weather
conditions that will
impact the NAS.
b. Facility
TMUs must coordinate with
the ATCSCC for matters
pertaining to severe
weather. |
