Other Aviation Meteorological Services Tokyo VOLMET broadcastДЇor aircraft in flight in the Pacific region, JMA disseminates weather reports for six major international airports in Japan as well as for Incheon International Airport (Republic of Korea) via Tokyo VOLMET, a short-wave radio broadcasting service. In its role as the Tokyo Volcanic Ash Advisory Center (VAAC) as designated by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) in cooperation with WMO, JMA provides Volcanic Ash Advisories (VAAs) detailing the current status and forecasts of volcanic ash clouds for East Asia, the Northwest Pacific region and part of Arctic Circle. SIGMET information is issued to provide advice on weather phenomena that can be hazardous to aircraft in flight (such as turbulence and thunderstorms) to the Fukuoka Flight Information Region (FIR) for international flights.Д¬louds of volcanic ash ejected by active volcanoes contain hazardous materials, which can seriously hinder airplane engine operation. If severe weather is expected, aerodrome weather bulletins and/or warnings are also issued. JMA provides forecasts, warnings and bulletins on the weather conditions at airports as well as information on en-route weather conditions for cruising aircraft.ДЄt 37 major airports, aerodrome forecasts for up to 30 hours ahead are issued every 6 hours. Information on wind shear is passed on to pilots through the air traffic control authority in real time so that they can take immediate action to evade hazardous conditions.Дoppler radar and Doppler lidar for airport weather observation When there is no precipitation, three-dimensional wind fields are observed using Doppler lidars at two airports. These units are also capable of observing three-dimensional wind fields to detect low-level wind shear, which is often hazardous to aircraft during takeoff and landing in conditions of precipitation. Rainfall is monitored by Doppler radars at nine airports. Lightning, for example, is continuously observed using a monitoring system composed of lightning detectors installed at 30 airports across the country. Particular attention is paid to severe weather conditions that seriously affect aviation operations. To secure the safety, regularity and efficiency of domestic and international aviation operations in Japan, JMA provides aviation weather services for airlines and the air traffic control authority - the Civil Aviation Bureau of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT) - and National Meteorological Services around the world.ДЄviation weather offices observe not only basic meteorological elements but also specific ones that are critical for aviation operations, such as runway visual range and cloud ceiling height.

Aviation weather radar