570
NOUS41 KWBC 151730
PNSWSH

Service Change Notice 25-52
National Weather Service Headquarters Silver Spring MD
130 PM EDT Tue Jul 15 2025

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

From: Kevin Stone, Chief
 Aviation and Space Weather Services Branch

Subject: Upgrades to the Alaska Aviation Weather Unit Winds
Aloft and Hourly Observation Charts on or after August 14, 2025.

On or after August 14, 2025, the Alaska Aviation Weather Unit is
planning to perform an upgrade to their winds aloft and hourly
observation charts. This upgrade will provide users in Alaska
with additional information through higher resolution data, and
allow the NWS to retire the end of life system used to produce
them.

Users accessing these charts through the Alaska Aviation Weather
Unit website will automatically see the upgraded charts on the
following websites:
Alaska Hourly Observations:https://www.weather.gov/aawu/hrlyobs
Winds aloft: https://www.weather.gov/aawu/upperwinds

To prepare for this change, users utilizing a static URL to
automatically download these charts will need to make the
following URL updates on their systems:

Current hourly observation URLs:
- Alaska:
http://www.weather.gov/images/aawu/hourlyCharts/FAA_AWU_AK12.gif
- Southeast:
http://www.weather.gov/images/aawu/hourlyCharts/FAA_AWU_SEAK5.gi
f
- North Gulf:
http://www.weather.gov/images/aawu/hourlyCharts/FAA_AWU_NGLF5.gi
f
- Southcentral:
http://www.weather.gov/images/aawu/hourlyCharts/FAA_AWU_SCNT5.gi
f
- Southwest:
http://www.weather.gov/images/aawu/hourlyCharts/FAA_AWU_SWAK6.gi
f
- Western:
http://www.weather.gov/images/aawu/hourlyCharts/FAA_AWU_WCEN5.gi
f
- Central:
http://www.weather.gov/images/aawu/hourlyCharts/FAA_AWU_CENT5.gi
f
- Northern:
http://www.weather.gov/images/aawu/hourlyCharts/FAA_AWU_NOAK6.gi
f

New hourly observation URLs:
- Alaska:
http://www.weather.gov/images/aawu/hourlyCharts/FAA_AWU_AK12.png
- Southeast:
http://www.weather.gov/images/aawu/hourlyCharts/FAA_AWU_SEAK5.pn
g
- North Gulf:
http://www.weather.gov/images/aawu/hourlyCharts/FAA_AWU_NGLF5.pn
g
- Southcentral:
http://www.weather.gov/images/aawu/hourlyCharts/FAA_AWU_SCNT5.pn
g
- Southwest:
http://www.weather.gov/images/aawu/hourlyCharts/FAA_AWU_SWAK6.pn
g
- Western:
http://www.weather.gov/images/aawu/hourlyCharts/FAA_AWU_WCEN5.pn
g
- Central:
http://www.weather.gov/images/aawu/hourlyCharts/FAA_AWU_CENT5.pn
g
- Northern:
http://www.weather.gov/images/aawu/hourlyCharts/FAA_AWU_NOAK6.pn
g

Current winds aloft (6-hour forecast):
- 6,000 ft wind:
https://www.weather.gov/images/aawu/wind_6k_6h.gif
- 9,000 ft wind:
https://www.weather.gov/images/aawu/wind_9k_6h.gif
- 12,000 ft wind:
https://www.weather.gov/images/aawu/wind_12k_6h.gif
- 18,000 ft wind:
https://www.weather.gov/images/aawu/wind_18k_6h.gif
- 24,000 ft wind:
https://www.weather.gov/images/aawu/wind_24k_6h.gif
- 30,000 ft wind:
https://www.weather.gov/images/aawu/wind_30k_6h.gif

Current winds aloft (12-hour forecast):
- 6,000 ft wind:
https://www.weather.gov/images/aawu/wind_6k_12h.gif
- 9,000 ft wind:
https://www.weather.gov/images/aawu/wind_9k_12h.gif
- 12,000 ft wind:
https://www.weather.gov/images/aawu/wind_12k_12h.gif
- 18,000 ft wind:
https://www.weather.gov/images/aawu/wind_18k_12h.gif
- 24,000 ft wind:
https://www.weather.gov/images/aawu/wind_24k_12h.gif
- 30,000 ft wind:
https://www.weather.gov/images/aawu/wind_30k_12h.gif

New winds aloft (3-hour forecast):
- 3,000 ft wind:
https://www.weather.gov/images/aawu/Wind_FLT030_1.png
- 6,000 ft wind:
https://www.weather.gov/images/aawu/Wind_FLT060_1.png
- 9,000 ft wind:
https://www.weather.gov/images/aawu/Wind_FLT090_1.png
- 12,000 ft wind:
https://www.weather.gov/images/aawu/Wind_FLT120_1.png
- 15,000 ft wind:
https://www.weather.gov/images/aawu/Wind_FLT150_1.png
- 18,000 ft wind:
https://www.weather.gov/images/aawu/Wind_FLT180_1.png
- 21,000 ft wind:
https://www.weather.gov/images/aawu/Wind_FLT210_1.png
- 24,000 ft wind:
https://www.weather.gov/images/aawu/Wind_FLT240_1.png
- 27,000 ft wind:
https://www.weather.gov/images/aawu/Wind_FLT270_1.png
- 30,000 ft wind:
https://www.weather.gov/images/aawu/Wind_FLT300_1.png
- 34,000 ft wind:
https://www.weather.gov/images/aawu/Wind_FLT340_1.png
- 39,000 ft wind:
https://www.weather.gov/images/aawu/Wind_FLT390_1.png
- 44,000 ft wind:
https://www.weather.gov/images/aawu/Wind_FLT440_1.png
- 52,000 ft wind:
https://www.weather.gov/images/aawu/Wind_FLT520_1.png

New winds aloft (9 hour forecast):
- 3,000 ft wind:
https://www.weather.gov/images/aawu/Wind_FLT030_3.png
- 6,000 ft wind:
https://www.weather.gov/images/aawu/Wind_FLT060_3.png
- 9,000 ft wind:
https://www.weather.gov/images/aawu/Wind_FLT090_3.png
- 12,000 ft wind:
https://www.weather.gov/images/aawu/Wind_FLT120_3.png
- 15,000 ft wind:
https://www.weather.gov/images/aawu/Wind_FLT150_3.png
- 18,000 ft wind:
https://www.weather.gov/images/aawu/Wind_FLT180_3.png
- 21,000 ft wind:
https://www.weather.gov/images/aawu/Wind_FLT210_3.png
- 24,000 ft wind:
https://www.weather.gov/images/aawu/Wind_FLT240_3.png
- 27,000 ft wind:
https://www.weather.gov/images/aawu/Wind_FLT270_3.png
- 30,000 ft wind:
https://www.weather.gov/images/aawu/Wind_FLT300_3.png
- 34,000 ft wind:
https://www.weather.gov/images/aawu/Wind_FLT340_3.png
- 39,000 ft wind:
https://www.weather.gov/images/aawu/Wind_FLT390_3.png
- 44,000 ft wind:
https://www.weather.gov/images/aawu/Wind_FLT440_3.png
- 52,000 ft wind:
https://www.weather.gov/images/aawu/Wind_FLT520_3.png

New winds aloft (15 hour forecast):
- 3,000 ft wind:
https://www.weather.gov/images/aawu/Wind_FLT030_5.png
- 6,000 ft wind:
https://www.weather.gov/images/aawu/Wind_FLT060_5.png
- 9,000 ft wind:
https://www.weather.gov/images/aawu/Wind_FLT090_5.png
- 12,000 ft wind:
https://www.weather.gov/images/aawu/Wind_FLT120_5.png
- 15,000 ft wind:
https://www.weather.gov/images/aawu/Wind_FLT150_5.png
- 18,000 ft wind:
https://www.weather.gov/images/aawu/Wind_FLT180_5.png
- 21,000 ft wind:
https://www.weather.gov/images/aawu/Wind_FLT210_5.png
- 24,000 ft wind:
https://www.weather.gov/images/aawu/Wind_FLT240_5.png
- 27,000 ft wind:
https://www.weather.gov/images/aawu/Wind_FLT270_5.png
- 30,000 ft wind:
https://www.weather.gov/images/aawu/Wind_FLT300_5.png
- 34,000 ft wind:
https://www.weather.gov/images/aawu/Wind_FLT340_5.png
- 39,000 ft wind:
https://www.weather.gov/images/aawu/Wind_FLT390_5.png
- 44,000 ft wind:
https://www.weather.gov/images/aawu/Wind_FLT440_5.png
- 52,000 ft wind:
https://www.weather.gov/images/aawu/Wind_FLT520_5.png

Additionally, as part of this change the following Geopotential
heights/winds graphics will be retired:
 https://www.weather.gov/images/aawu/analysis_850.gif
 https://www.weather.gov/images/aawu/analysis_700.gif
 https://www.weather.gov/images/aawu/analysis_500.gif
 https://www.weather.gov/images/aawu/analysis_300.gif
 https://www.weather.gov/images/aawu/analysis_200.gif

Additional hourly observation and winds aloft forecasts will
also be available on an interactive map at
aviationweather.gov/gfa.

If you have any questions concerning Alaska Aviation Weather
Unit Winds aloft and Hourly observation charts, please contact:

David Kochevar
Warning Coordination Meteorologist
National Weather Service
Alaska Aviation Weather Unit
(907) 266-5190
david.kochevar@noaa.gov

National Service Change Notices are online at:

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