WINDS ALOFT

Winds aloft officially known as the winds and temperatures aloft

forecast, (known as "FD" in the US and Canada, but 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 DDss+/-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 trailing zero is excluded.
 Temperature (TT), displayed as a +/- two-digit number, indicating
temperature in degrees Celsius.
Above 24,000 feet, the format changes by omitting a +/- sign on
temperature. Temperatures at high aviation altitudes are below zero Celsius.

FBUS31 KWNO 190440

DATA BASED ON 190000Z DATA VALID 190600Z FOR USE 0600-1200Z.
TEMPS NEG ABV 24000
FT 3000 6000 9000 12000 18000 24000 30000 34000 39000
ABR 1027 1326+01 1428-03 1431-09 1639-21 1749-34 175849 175957 174758
ABI 2849+04 2857-02 2760-07 2670-20 2682-32 760344 760648 259451

ABR, ABI, and ALS are the weather station abbreviations used in this
report. Wind speeds over 99 knots are extracted by subtracting 50 from the
direction and adding 100 to the speed. Thus, for example, the wind forecast
for Abilene (ABI) at 30,000 feet, shown above as 7603, indicates a forecast wind
of 260 degrees at 103 knots (76-50=26 or 260, and speed became 100+03=103).
This forecast is now made four times a day based on 0000Z, 0600Z,
1200Z, and 1800Z data (the Z stands for Zulu and indicates Coordinated
Universal Time). The forecasts are valid 6 (FD1/8), 12 (FD2/9), and 24 (FD3/10)
hours after the observation date/times of 0000Z and 1200Z upon which they are
based. Depending on station elevation, FD1/2/3 wind forecasts are issued for the
following levels: 3, 6, 9, 12, 18, 24, 30, 34, and 39 thousand feet.
The first level for which a wind forecast is issued is 1,500 feet or more
above the station elevation. Temperature is forecast for all wind levels, except the
3,000 foot level, that are 2,500 feet or more above the station. As indicated in the
third line of the forecast, the temperatures at all levels above 24,000 feet are
generally negative and the minus sign is excluded. FD8/9/10 are for the 45,000
and 53,000 foot levels. Light and variable winds (which by definition have speed
close to zero and also lack specific direction) are coded as 9900.

PRESSURE GRADIENT
The pressure gradient is the pressure drop per unit length along the flow
path. A thing that affects a pressure gradient is the viscosity. Apart from that, it is
very influencing a pressure gradient significantly is the superficial velocity of
both gas and liquid

GEOTROPIC WIND
The geostropic wind (/ ˌdʒiːəˈstrɒfɪk, ˌdʒiːoʊ ,, ˈstroʊ- /) is a theoretical
wind that will result from a proper balance between the Coriolis force and the
pressure gradient force. This condition is called geostropic balance. Geostropic
winds are directed parallel to the isobars (constant pressure line at a certain
height). This balance is rare in nature. Actual winds are almost always different
from geostropic winds due to other forces such as friction from the ground. Thus,
a true wind will be the same as a geostropic wind only if there is no friction and
the isobars are perfectly straight. Nonetheless, most of the atmosphere outside the
tropics is close to geostropic flows most of the time and it is a valuable first
approach. A geostropic flow in air or water is a wave of zero frequency inertia.