Some chance of fog at MEL this week

[jb747]

Weather reports and forecasts - Satellite images - Climate normals

This is an excellent site for information on weather around the world. You should be able to find just about any airport....

It gives the cryptic version that I read, plus a translation for everyone else. All times are in Zulu (UTC). A METAR is a report of actual conditions, and a TAFOR is a forecast.

 

[Melburnian1]

Thank you jb747, as these sorts of sites can be difficult to find if one does not ask by relevant search titles. Especially handy that it dumbs it down for those of us who lack your meteorological knowledge, but who are mildly interested in the subject.

By the way, given that you referred elsewhere to 'lack of support on the ground' during fog events - a comment that must apply to many airlines, since my perception is that VA domestically is worse than QF at handling such delays even though VA is a smaller carrier - what (realistically and cost efficiently) could occur to improve this, given that such unpredictable in duration events must impose huge workloads (and much stress) on operations department personnel, notwithstanding that software will be configured to provide the most effective selection of which flights should be cancelled, how staffing should be reallocated, what passengers ought be 'bumped' and which flights should depart as a priority (assuming ATC agreement)?

Were you referring to MEL only or to Australia as a whole (with probably CBR the most fog-affected of any Australian major airport, and nonscenic suggests fog can be a problem at PER too), or were you making a pretty much worldwide observation? Airports such as MEL have invested in technical equipment, so one assumes you are referring to 'human factors' being deficient in the handling of fog 'on the ground.'

 

[jb747]

By 'lack of support', I was referring to the hardware, be it lighting, GBAS, or CAT II/III systems themselves. The recent ATSB report on the diversion of two 737s to Mildura a couple of years ago shows what can happen. Games of odds should be confined to casinos, and aren't a good way to run a national aviation system.