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NOUS41 KWBC 271920
PNSWSH

Public Information Statement 25-57
National Weather Service Headquarters Silver Spring MD
320 PM EDT Wed Aug 27 2025

To: Subscribers:
 -NOAA Weather Wire Service
 -Emergency Managers Weather Information Network
 -NOAAPort
 Other NWS Partners, Users and Employees

From: Kevin Stone, Team Lead
 Aviation and Space Weather Services Branch

Subject: .

The Alaska Aviation Weather Unit (AAWU) is soliciting feedback
on planned updates to its Surface and Significant Weather
(SIGWX) charts.  These revisions aim to modernize and enhance
the readability of the existing charts, as well as enable the
AAWU to move their production off of a beyond end of life
system, and reduce duplication of NWS services.

Examples of the proposed changes are available at
https://www.weather.gov/aawu/graphicupdate.

The new Surface and SIGWX charts are intended to provide better
readability to users, while utilizing higher resolution, adding
probabilistic information, and improving consistency with other
NWS products.  As part of this change, frontal information is
proposed to be removed due to redundancy with existing frontal
analysis services in Alaska, and incompatibility in future
systems.  Frontal analysis will continue to be available over
Alaska from the following alternative NWS sources:

   - Ocean Prediction Center Alaska/Arctic Analysis and
     Graphical Forecasts: https://ocean.weather.gov/AK_tab.php
   - Graphical Forecast for Aviation (GFA) Prog Charts:
     https://aviationweather.gov/gfa/#progchart
   - Alaska Weather Maps: https://www.weather.gov/afc/tv
   - Alaska Aviation Weather Unit Area Forecast synopsis:
     https://www.weather.gov/aawu/AreaForecasts

Below are prototype examples of the current and proposed Surface
and Significant Weather Charts:

Current Surface Chart:
https://www.weather.gov/images/aawu/features/sfc_current.gif

Proposed Current Surface Chart:
https://www.weather.gov/images/aawu/features/sfc_update.png

Surface charts would continue to be updated four times daily at
00z, 06z, 12z and 18z.The file type of the charts would also
change from .gif to .png with this change.

Current Significant Weather chart:
https://www.weather.gov/images/aawu/features/sigwx_current.gif

Proposed Significant Weather chart:
https://www.weather.gov/images/aawu/features/sigwx_update.png

Significant weather charts would continue to be produced twice
daily in this format, with forecasts at 24, 36, 48 and 60 hours.
The file type of the charts would also change from .gif to .png
with this change.

If you have any questions concerning these changes, please
contact:

David Kochevar
Warning Coordination Meteorologist
National Weather Service
Alaska Aviation Weather Unit
david.kochevar@noaa.gov

National Public Information Statements are online at:

https://www.weather.gov/notification/