The National Weather Service Aviation Weather Center is implementing a new convective weather product that yields a more accurate representation of forecast convective weather, according to the NBAA weather subcommittee. Dubbed the Traffic Flow Management Convective Forecast (TCF), it will have a look and feel that is similar to the CDM Convective Forecast Product that it is replacing.

“This new product will provide operators with more accurate and timely forecasts,” said John Kosak, NBAA Air Traffic Services specialist and staff liaison for the NBAA weather subcommittee. “Because this is a return to a human-in-the-loop convective product, the users will collaborate on the final product, which will allow a more accurate representation of the forecast convective weather.”

With the new TCF, meteorologists will be able to determine the accuracy of that forecast and add or adjust any areas to the final product as high confidence, if necessary. This will once again return “the capability of drawing lines, in addition to the sparse and medium levels of coverage depicting the areas of thunderstorms,” Kosak said. Broken lines will also represent 40 to 70 percent coverage, while solid lines will cover the 74 to 100 percent range.

The FAA has also produced a training video to brief pilots on the new TCF product.