Aviation Weather Handbook FAA-H-8083-28

• Preface
• Acknowledgements
• Notice
• Table of Contents
• Chapter 1. Introduction
• Chapter 2. Aviation Weather Services Program and Information
• Chapter 3. Overview of Aviation Weather Information
• Chapter 4. The Earth's Atmosphere 
• Chapter 5. Heat and Temperature 
• Chapter 6. Water Vapor
• Chapter 7. Earth-Atmosphere Heat Imbalances
• Chapter 8. Atmospheric Pressure and Altimetry
• Chapter 9. Global Circulations and Jet Streams
• Chapter 10. Wind
• Chapter 11. Air Masses, Fronts, and the Wave Cyclone Model
• Chapter 12. Vertical Motion and Clouds
• Chapter 13. Atmospheric Stability
• Chapter 14. Precipitation
• Chapter 15. Weather Radar
• Chapter 16. Moutain Weather
• Chapter 17. Tropical Weather
• Chapter 18. Weather and Obstructions to Visibility
• Chapter 19. Turbulence 
• Chapter 20. Icing
• Chapter 21. Arctic Weather
• Chapter 22. Thunderstorms
• Chapter 23. Space Weather
• Chapter 24. Observations
• Chapter 25. Analysis
• Chapter 26. Advisories
• Chapter 27. Forecasts
• Chapter 28. Aviation Weather Tools
• Appendix A. Cloud Types
• Appendix B. Standard Conversion Chart
• Appendix C. Density Altiitude Calculation
• Appendix D. Special Terminal Operation Procedures (STOP) for Operations in Noncontiguous State
• Appendix E. Abbreviations, Acronyms, and Initialisms
• Appendix F. Units of Measurement
• Appendix G. Websites

This handbook describes the United States (U.S.) aviation weather program, products, and services. It also documents weather theory and its application to aviation. The objective of this handbook is to help the pilot and operator understand the basics of weather, aviation weather hazards, and aviation weather products. The information included is not prescriptive. Furthermore, the guidance and recommendations in this handbook are not legally binding in their own right and will not be relied upon by the FAA as a separate basis for affirmative enforcement action or other administrative penalty. Conformity with the guidance and recommendations is voluntary only and nonconformity will not affect rights and obligations under existing statutes and regulations.

The handbook is a consolidated source of weather information and, in some cases, best practices to assist with providing safety for flight.

The visualization of the products discussed in this handbook has evolved over the past decade with the use of internet websites. The use of static black and white depictions of aviation forecasts is quickly becoming a thing of the past. Today’s websites provide the products in color and offer options to select and overlay multiple pieces of weather information.