Winds Aloft, officially known as the Winds and Temperatures Aloft Forecast, (known as "FD" in the US, but are becoming known as "FB", following the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) nomenclature), is a forecast of specific atmospheric conditions in terms of wind and temperature at certain altitudes, typically measured in feet (ft) above mean sea level (MSL). The forecast is specifically used for aviation purposes.
The components of a Winds and Temperatures Aloft Forecast are displayed as: DD ss +/- TT.
- Wind Direction (DD) and Wind Speed (ss), displayed as a 4-digit number, e.g. 3127, indicating a wind direction of 310 degrees True North and a wind speed of 27 knots. Note that wind direction is rounded to the nearest 10 degrees and the zero is excluded.
- Temperature (TT), displayed as a +/- two-digit number, e.g. -12, which means -12 degrees Celsius.
Read more about Winds Aloft: Example, References & Links
Famous quotes containing the words winds and/or aloft:
“The poop was beaten gold,
Purple the sails, and so perfumed that
The winds were love-sick with them.”
—William Shakespeare (1564–1616)
“Alas! when Virtue sits high aloft on a frigate’s poop, when Virtue is crowned in the cabin of a Commodore, when Virtue rules by compulsion, and domineers over Vice as a slave, then Virtue, though her mandates be outwardly observed, bears little interior sway.”
—Herman Melville (1819–1891)