Hazardous Inflight Weather Advisory Service Explained

Hazardous Inflight Weather Advisory Service (HIWAS^[1]) was a continuous broadcast of hazardous weather information which is transmitted over selected VORs. This hazardous weather includes AIRMETs, SIGMETs, Convective SIGMETs, Center Weather Advisories (CWAs), Severe Alert Weather Watches (AWWs), and urgent PIREPs.^[2]

The presence of HIWAS information on a VOR was indicated on a sectional or terminal area chart by an "H" in the upper-right corner of the box surrounding the NAVAID frequency.^[3]

On 8 January 2020 the Federal Aviation Administration discontinued the HIWAS service in favor of Flight Information Services-Broadcast (FIS-B) and other modern means of accessing in-flight weather data.^[4]

Notes and References

1. Web site: Order JO 7340.1Z: Contractions. PDF. Federal Aviation Administration. March 15, 2007.
2. Web site: Aeronautical Information Manual. Air Traffic Plans and Publications. Federal Aviation Administration. 7 December 2016.
3. http://www.faa.gov/library/manuals/aviation/pilot_handbook/media/faa-h-8083-25-3of4.pdf Weather Theory
4. Web site: Discontinuation of Hazardous Inflight Weather Advisory Service (HIWAS) in the Contiguous United States . Federal Register . 10 January 2020.