SIGMET/AIRMET based severe weather

Official Microsoft Flight Simulator Wishlist
1

I think it would be cool to simulate severe weather based on current or predicted SIGMET and AIRMET reports.

They are public and can be found easily on the net. They comprise of a “coded” message that states current or predicted severe weather conditions and their localization.

Several phenomena can be reported or predicted by SIGMETs and AIRMETs.

I would leave things like thunderstorms to the sim and its weather engine alone, however reports of thunderstorms with hail are sometimes reported and the hail could be simulated if a storm is simulated in the game as well.

I would mostly use it to predict moderate (AIRMET) and severe (SIGMET) turbulence and icing (that’s turbulence and icing not connected to severe convection, you already expect those), severe and moderate mountain waves, dust and sand storms, volcanic ash clouds etc.

I think it would add a big degree of realism to the sim, not only because you could properly use weather planning for your routes, but also because the info that would be fed into the sim could be properly displayed on weather radars for example.

2

Or even brought to us by a dedicated weather channel like The Weather Channel.

  • I seen them advertised their service in the old NCAA Football games.
3

I think the intent is to base it on actual weather given from Meteoblue. I think it would be really cool to get AIRMETs and SIGMETs in the sim for flight planning purposes.

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5

Problem with those is that it’s not nearly precise enough, they usually specify an area or a line moving whatever direction, so many kts, intensifying or not. Not anywhere precise enough to add in the simulator. CAT associated with jetstreams maybe. And often there isn’t anything there anyway as it still is a forecast or some moderate icing reported by a Cessna pilot which turns out to be trace ice for a A320. I think most things, thunderstorms with hail and associated turbulences, mountain waves etc. can be simulated natively. My experience is that AIRMET and SIGMET info is not very reliable.

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