ZDV Area Forecaster Handbook - Weather



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Prepared by ZDV Meteorologists

Thomas W. Dulong

Thomas A. Meyer

Greg T. Robbins

Edited by

William R. Bobb

Meteorologist-in-Charge

The Weather Impact Playbook (WIP) is a tactical operations guide. It is a living document that should be reviewed and updated regularly. The WIP contains information such as:

❖ All facilities information for the CWSU's Air Route Traffic Control Center (ARTCC) and related Terminal Radar Approach Control Facility(s) (TRACONs), Airport Traffic Control Tower(s) (ATCTs), and Automated Flight Service Station(s) (AFSSs);

❖ A list of all key personnel and management structures at each facility;

❖ Key weather impacts and their associated decision time horizons;

❖ Procedures that facility personnel implement to mitigate key weather impacts including:

➢ Playbooks

➢ Collaborative decision making

➢ Other; and

❖ Basic climatological information.

1st Edition (2006) Authored by Warren Rodie (MIC, ZDV/CWSU 2004-2007)

2nd Edition (2010) Authored by William Bobb (Current MIC, ZDV/CWSU)

Contact# 303-651-4263

**This is an interim edition of the ZDV CWSU WIP**

WIP REVIEW/CHANGES

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Air Route Traffic Control Center (ARTCC) ZDV

Contact Information ARTCC/ZDV

2211 17th Avenue

Longmont, CO 80501-9763

Air Traffic Manager Kevin W. Stark DV-1

Contact Information 303-651-4101

Kevin.Stark@

Assistant Air Traffic Manager Cindy Alexander DV-2

Contact Information 303-651-4102 Cindy Alexander@

Training Officer Ralph Walters DV-17

Contact Information 303-651-4317

Ralph.Walters@

Quality Assurance John Ascher DV-505

Contact Information 303-651-4505

John.Ascher@

Traffic Management Unit (TMU)

Traffic Management Officer Mark Cotter DV-540

Contact Information 303-651-4540

Mark.Cotter@

Traffic Management Supervisors 303-651-4247/4290

Alex Appelhans

Larry Larkin

Christine Mellon

Scott Sutherland

ZDV ARTCC Operations Managers

Area 1 Rex Morris

303-651-4248/4541

Area 2 Steve Duebler

303-651-4248/4542

Area 3 Tom Meyer

303-651-4248/4543

Area 4 Tami Dishman

303-651-4248/4544

Area 5 Missy Booth

303-651-4248/4545

Area 6 Rex Morris

303-651-4248/4546

FLM Desk Phone Number 303-651-425# (# = 1 thru 6)

Supporting NWS Region and Forecast Office (WFO)

Region Central Region Headquarters (CRH)

Regional Director Lynn Maximuk (W/CR1)

Mailing Address NOAA’s National Weather Service

Central Region Headquarters Regional Office

7220 NW 101st Terrace

Kansas City, MO 64153

Contact Information 816-268-3130

Lynn.Maximuk@

Regional Aviation Meteorologist Jennifer Zeltwanger

Contact Information 816-268-3143

Jennifer.Zelwanger@

NWSH Aviation Services Branch Cyndie Abelman

Contact Information 301-713-1726, x140

Cyndie.Ableman@

Supporting NWS Forecast Office WFO Denver/Boulder (BOU)

Meteorologist in Charge ***TBD***

Mailing Address National Weather Service

325 Broadway

Boulder, CO 80501-3328

Contact Information 303-494-3210

Aviation Focal Point Scott Entrekin

Contact Information 303-494-4479

Scott.Entrekin@

ZDV and First/Second Tier ARTCC Designations

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Supporting WFOs writing TAFs within the airspace

|NWS TAF Locations by Responsible WFO |

|and other Federal Agencies |

|BOU Boulder CO – 303-494-4454 |GJT Grand Junction CO – 970-756-9463 |CYS Cheyenne WY – 303-772-2370 |

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|KAPA Centennial Airport |KASE Aspen - Pitkin County Airport (Sardy Field)|KBFF William B. Heilig Field |

|BJC Jeffco Airport |KEGE Eagle County Regional Airport |KCDR Chadron Municipal Airport |

|KDEN Denver Int'l. Airport |KGJT Walker Field |KCYS Cheyenne Airport |

| |KGUC Gunnison County Airport (Issued NIL four |KLAR Laramie Regional Airport |

| |times daily) |KRWL Rawlins Municipal Airport |

| |KHDN Yampa Valley Airport (Issued NIL four times|KSNY Sidney Municipal Airport |

| |daily) | |

| |KMTJ Montrose Regional Airport | |

|GLD Goodland KS – 785-899-7119 |PUB Pueblo CO – 719-948-3838 |LBF North Platte NE – 308-532-0921 |

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|KGLD Goodland Municipal Airport (Renner |KALS San Luis Valley Regional - Bergman Airport |KLBF North Platte Regional Airport - Lee Bird |

|Field) |KCOS City of Colorado Springs Municipal Airport |Field Airport |

|KMCK Mc Cook Municipal Airport |KPUB Pueblo Memorial Airport |KVTN Miller Field Airport |

|RIW Riverton WY – 307-817-3818 |25th Operational Weather Squadron |UNR Rapid City SD – 605-341-0346 |

| |520-228-7655 | |

|KCPR Natrona County Int'l. Airport | |KGCC Gillette - Campbell County Airport |

| |KBKF – Buckley Air Force Base, CO |KRAP Rapid City Regional Airport |

| |KFCS – Fort Carson, CO | |

|FGZ Flagstaff AZ – 928-556-9161 |15th Operational Weather Squadron |ABQ Albuquerque NM – 505-243-0702 |

| |618-256-9698 | |

|KPGA Page Municipal Airport | |KFMN Four Corners Regional Airport |

| |KRCA – Ellsworth Air Force Base, SD | |

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TAF LOCATIONS

ZDV ARTCC Facility Structure

  The Denver Air Route Traffic Control Center (ARTCC) is charged with the safe, orderly, and expeditious flow of air traffic in over 280,000 square miles of airspace. The geographical area covered by Denver Center extends from approximately 50 miles west of Grand Junction, Colorado, to 12 miles east of Vernal, Utah, to 50 miles north of Gillette, Wyoming, to 75 miles east of North Platte, Nebraska, to 25 miles northwest of Garden City, Kansas, to 10 miles north of Taos, New Mexico, and to 20 miles west of Tuba City, Arizona. 

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TRACONs and contact numbers within ZDV

• DEN: 303-342-1590/1580…and “5-line” on VSCS

• ASE (Mini): 970-920-2016

• COS (Mini): 719-556-4410

• CPR Approach: 307-472-8940

• CYS (RAPCON): 307-634-4417

• GJT (Airspace-Denver) : 303-342-1563

• PUB (Approach): 719-948-3374

• RCA (RAPCON): 605-385-6199

2 FAA Towers (ATCT) and contact numbers within ZDV

• DEN: 303-342-1606/1608…and “5-line” on VSCS

• APA: (720) 873-2781 (Tower Cab)

• ASE: 970-925-6898 (Tower Cab)

• BKF (USAF): 303-677-9103

• COS: 719-380-6725…after hours 719-556-9105/9106

• CPR: 307-472-8940

• CYS: 307-638-9711, 307-772-6032/6053

• EGE: 970-524-2030

• FMN: 505-325-0203

• GCC: 307-686-2208

• GJT: 303-651-4905

• HDN: 970-276-5004 (Airport Manager)

• MTJ: 970-249-3433 (Airport Manager)

• PUB: 719-948-3374

• RAP: 605-393-1161

• RCA (USAF): 605-385-1052

• RIL: 970-625-3771

Hub/Pacing Airports

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OEP AIRPORT: Denver International (DIA)

--Visual/ILS Threshold is approximately 6000FT/7sm

--(Visuals 4 rnwy/AAR=152, 3 rnwy AAR=114…ILS 3 rnwy/AAR=96, ILS 2 rnwy AAR=64)

--Crosswinds (West winds GTE25kts) 2 runway (“all west ops” 72 rate)

--ILS AAR basically the same for 3000ft/5sm, 1000ft/3sm, 500ft/1sm, 200/ 1/2sm

--Below 200ft/1/2sm…RVRs are critical. (2000ft (Cat1), 1200ft(Cat2), 700ft Cat3)

--During convective season, DIA is prone to microburst/llws activity

--Lightning activity within 5nm field will impact ground operations

--Typical length of shutoffs due to TSRA and/or microburst activity is 30 min to 1 hr

--Time to reorient airfield due to significant wind-shifts is averages 30 minutes

--Wind-shifts are often dictated by just 7-8 kts of a tailwind component

--Aircraft deicing operations and/or runway conditioning can impact AAR/ADR

--Mesoscale convergence zone often plays significant role in weather vcnty DIA

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Time of Daily Pushes (i.e., aviation “rush hour”)

7 am, 9 am, 1 pm, 5 pm, 7 pm

DIA typically ranks as fourth or fifth busiest US major “hub airport”

ZDV ARTCC ranks 15th of 21 ARTCCs in overall traffic volume (5000 ops/day)

Arrival Gates/Routes

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Departure Gates/Routes

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ZDV/DEN Traffic Management Tips

• Denver ARTCC utilizes Center/TRACON Automation System (CTAS) to meter arrival traffic to Denver International Airport during compacted arrival periods when the arrival demand exceeds capacity. D01’s four post arrival configuration with dual arrival procedures at each post allows ZDV to quickly and efficiently deliver aircraft to the TRACON during compacted periods.

• Common AARs for DEN will be 96 for triple simultaneous ILS approaches during IFR weather. The AAR may be less during snow/deicing events. AARs during VMC conditions will generally be 114 with three arrival runways and 152 when four arrival runways are available.

• As wind permits, Denver TRACON/Tower will change arrival/departure configurations several times throughout the day to accommodate arrival/departure banks as appropriate. The land north/south configuration (35L/35R/16R/16L) and the converging operations allow nearly all arrivals to land via the base leg entry. These configurations save the customers several miles by not flying a downwind leg. Converging operations can be conducted in VFR or IFR weather.

• Although rare, strong winds do occasionally force the airport into an all east or all west configuration. In a two runway east or west operation, the AAR will range from 48-72 depending on the weather and departure demand. If departure traffic can use runways 34L and 34R for departure, the AAR to the east/west runways will be higher.

• During deicing operations the airport is much more efficient in a north operation. Runways 35R/35L will be the primary arrival runways allowing arrival traffic to enter the terminal area from the east. Deicing operations are conducted primarily on the west side of the terminal with 34L/34R being used as the primary departure runways.

• Thunderstorm activity along the Front Range of the Rockies is significantly different than mid-western thunderstorms. During severe weather season, thunderstorms frequently form at or very near DEN with little or no warning. These thunderstorms are typically accompanied by wind shear and microburst activity leaving no arrival/departure runways available for several minutes.

TMU Positions:

• METER – A Traffic Management Position for monitoring and control of air traffic arrival and/or departure to/from a “Hub” or “Pacing” so that the arrival and/or departure of traffic doesn't exceed the capacity.

• Weather Impacts include:

• Wind direction and speed at Denver International Airport (DIA) including changes due to gusts fronts and outflow boundaries

• Thunderstorms approaching DIA, or on-station. Thunderstorms at DIA will close the airport (ground stop) due to wind shear, microbursts, or other thunderstorm hazards.

• Thunderstorms approaching, or at, any of the arrival or departure gates to DIA; i.e., Denver Approach. Thunderstorms, and outflow boundaries, at an arrival gate will maybe sufficient cause for gate closure. This will force aircraft reroutes and may squeeze arrival routes into departure routes.

• Development of a “Denver Cyclone”

• Low ceilings and reduced visibilities reduce arrival rates into DIA. Even a scattered layer at 6,000 feet (AGL) can require Instrument Landing Approach (ILS) into DIA. Dense fog will decrease arrival rates into DIA, especially when Runway Visibility (RVR) drops below minimums for Category I and II aircraft.

• ESP – En Route Spacing (ESP) Position is responsible for smoothing inter-intrafacility traffic flows. TMC's assigned to this position monitor aircraft destined for specific airports, identify potential problem areas and sectors, and ensure smooth traffic flows by initiating appropriate traffic management strategies.

• Weather Impacts include:

• Turbulence and thunderstorms within ZDV airspace

• Turbulence and thunderstorms in First and Second Tier (airports), and beyond (?), ARTCC airspace. For example, a line of thunderstorms over the Oklahoma panhandle and western Texas could force traffic destined to the desert southwest and southern California into ZDV airspace. Miles-in-trail or other restrictions could be initiated as well as certain “Playbook” routes to alleviate congestion.

• The same weather that creates problems at DIA causes like problems at other terminals. Ground delay programs, or ground stops, at external hubs often create “push back” problems at DIA. For example, a major snow event in Chicago could temporarily cease operations at O’Hare (ORD) airport while runways are cleared. Enroute aircraft destined for ORD could be “slowed” or rerouted while clearing operations are underway. Likewise, aircraft at DIA destined for ORD could be held (ground delay).

• Ski Country - The winter and summer seasons in the Colorado Mountains can attract thousands of people and hundreds of aircraft to airports in Western Colorado. Ski Country is a traffic management position for monitoring and control of air traffic arrival and/or departure to/from a Ski Country Airport; i.e., Aspen, Eagle, Rifle, Montrose and Telluride, so that the arrival and/or departure of traffic doesn't exceed the capacity. To safely manage this volume, or when dictated by weather, Denver Center implements Special Traffic Management Programs (STMP’s) and/or Playbook Routes. STMP’s require pilots to make arrival reservations prior to using a participating airport.

• Weather Impacts include:

• Low ceiling and reduced visibility, with the minima dependent upon the airport.

• Lowering ceilings force a transition from a visual to ILS approach at relatively high altitudes, the height dependent upon each airport.

|Ski Country Airport Break Points |

Airport |ASE |CAG |CEZ |DRO |EGE |GJT |GUC |HDN |MTJ |RIL |SBS |TEX | |Minimums

CIGS (AGL) /VSBY |2400’ 3SM |1700’ 3SM |900’ 3SM |1200’ 3SM |3700’ 3SM |800’ 2½SM |2300’ 5SM |1300’ 3SM |1000’ 3SM |2300’ 3SM |1300’

11/2SM |3300’

6SM | |ILS Approach

Cloud Height

(AGL) |6500’ |4200’ |3900’ |3300’ |8500’ |4100’ |4100’ |3900’ |6000’ |6500’ |5000’ |3300’ | |

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Summer Season Monthly Convective SIGMET % Frequency (per Slemmer/Silberberg/AWC 2004)

JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUN JUL AUG SEP OCT NOV DEC Total

DENVER DAYS 0.* 0.1 0.3 1.5 6.4 9.9 11.1 8.3 3.5 0.8 0.1 0.0 41.9

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