Persistent outages of weather observation stations across Alaska have caused problems for rural communities, aviators and climatologists for years. Alaska lawmakers are now urging Congress to take action.
Persistent outages of weather observation stations across Alaska have caused problems for rural communities , aviators and climatologists for years. Now Alaska lawmakers are hoping to spur the federal government to do something about it.
AWOS weather stations collect data on weather conditions, wind direction and speed, along with other critical information needed for pilots, such as cloud cover, visibility, temperature and air pressure. If a station in an Alaska community is not reporting weather data, and another federally approved weather source is not available, then a commercial pilot cannot legally or safely fly there according to FAA’s Part 135 regulations.
According to Knesek, Grant Aviation serves over 60 communities in Alaska and about 30% of them have an AWOS or other weather reporting system. He says there is still a lack of aviation infrastructure in Alaska, compared to the Lower 48, which impacts food shipments, medical supplies and delivery of vital services in rural areas.
“In the part of the United States where the environment is changing most rapidly, we just can’t afford to have this loss of information,” said Alaska-based climatologist Rick Thoman.
Alaska Lawmakers Congress Weather Station Outages Rural Communities Aviators Climatologists
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