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The Aviation Tropical Cyclone Advisory ("IACO")

World Meteorological Organization (WMO) header: FKIO20 FMEE

The Aviation Tropical Cyclone Advisories are issued by the RSMCs/Tropical Cyclones to provide short term tropical cyclone forecast guidance for international aviation safety and routing purposes. These advisories provide the reference information to the aviation MWO (Meteorological Watch Office) responsible for issuing warnings (SIGMET) when meteorological hazards (in this case tropical systems) are present in their area of responsibility or "flight information region" (FIR).

An Aviation Tropical Cyclone Advisory is issued at 00, 06, 12, 18 UTC, as soon as a tropical system generates gale force winds (at the surface). Apart from the date the advisory includes the following data: name of the issuing centre, name of the referred tropical system (if present) and number, and lists the current TC position (lat/lon in degrees and minutes), motion, intensity (minimum central pressure in hPa and 10-minute average maximum winds in knots), and the 6, 12, 18, and 24-hour forecast positions (lat/lon in degrees and minutes) and intensities (10-minute average maximum winds in knots).

Example

FKIO20 FMEE 130011
TC ADVISORY
DTG: 20060413/0000Z
TCAC: REUNION
TC: DUMY
NR: 05
PSN: S1300 E05524
MOV: WSW 0KT
C: 980HPA
MAX WIND: 55KT
FCST PSN +6HR: 13/0600Z S1303 E05477
FCST MAX WIND +6HR: 60KT
FCST PSN +12HR: 13/1200Z S1306 E05430
FCST MAX WIND +12HR: 60KT
FCST PSN +18HR: 13/1800Z S1321 E05403
FCST MAX WIND +18HR: 63KT
FCST PSN +24HR: 14/0000Z S1336 E05336
FCST MAX WIND +24HR: 65KT
NXT MSG: 20060413/0600Z

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