GEN 3.5  METEOROLOGICAL SERVICES

1.   Responsible services

The meteorological services for civil aviation are provided by:

1.1   Hungarian Meteorological Service

Aviation and Severe Weather Forecasting Division

Post:

H-1525 Budapest P. O. Box 38.

AFS:LHBPYMYC

Tel:(361) 346-4600

Tel:(361) 346-4655

Fax:(361) 346-4669

1.2   Hungarocontrol

Aerodrome Meteorological Unit

Airport Meteorological Office of Budapest Liszt Ferenc International Airport (LHBP)

Post:

H-1675 Budapest P. O. Box 80.

AFS:LHBPYMYX

Tel:(361) 296-8705

Tel:(361) 291-9425

Fax:(361) 291-9425

The service is provided in accordance with the provisions contained in the following ICAO documents:

  • Annex 3 - Meteorological Service for International Air Navigation
  • Doc 7030/5, EUR Part 3 - Regional Supplementary Procedures (MET procedures for EUR Region)

Differences to these provisions are detailed in subsection GEN 1.7

2.   Area of responsibility

Meteorological service is provided for Budapest FIR.

3.   Meteorological observations and reports

Name of station Location IndicatorType and frequency of observations/ automatic observing equipmentTypes of MET reports and supplementary information includedObservation System and Site(s)Hours of operationClimatological information
Budapest Liszt Ferenc International Airport LHBPYMYXHalf hourly plus special observationsMETAR, SPECI, TREND, WSSFC wind sensors: see AD Chart RVR EQPT: see AD Chart Ceilometer: see AD Chart Thermometer: see AD Chart Pressure tube: at 13L ILS H24Climatological tables available

4.   Types of services

4.1   At Budapest Liszt Ferenc International Airport

Briefing and flight documentation is provided by Hungarocontrol Aerodrome Meteorological Unit. On request personal briefing is given to the pilot-in-command by a meteorological officer.

For every flight the following charts are available:

RegionSWLSWMSWHFL 050FL 100FL 140FL 180FL 240FL 300FL 340FL 390FL 450
EURabbxxcxxxxxc
MIDcccccccccc
NATcccccccccc
AFIcccccccccc

SWL = Low Level Significant Weather Chart (Surface - FL 100)

SWM = Medium Level Significant Weather Chart (FL 100 - FL 250)

SWH = High Level Significant Weather Chart (FL 250 - FL 450)

  1. only available for Budapest FIR and for fixed time 06:00 UTC
  2. SWC EUR mixed version of SWM and SWH (FL 100 - FL 450)
  3. on prior request

Additionally forecasts of upper wind and temperature for routes requested are also available in a table form. Aerodrome reports and forecasts including trend-type landing forecasts are provided on routine basis, RWY Visual Range observations are provided.

Codes used in aerodrome meteorological reports and forecasts are according to WMO FM 15-X Ext. METAR, FM 16-X Ext. SPECI and FM 51-X Ext. TAF.

4.2   Information for VFR flights
4.2.1   Written briefing

Service provided H24.

Information are accessible via fax or e-mail if subscripted. Subscription may be made on numbers (361) 346-4655 and 346-4765.

  1. Regional weather situation and forecast issued at 0400 and 1200 UTC
  2. METARs issued every 30/60 minutes,TAFs for domestic aerodromes issued every 3/6 hours
  3. Low level significant weather chart times of issue:
    • 0200 UTC validity time: 0600 UTC
    • 0800 UTC validity time: 1200 UTC
  4. Wind and temperature forecast chart at FL050 for Europe times of issue:
    • 0200 UTC validity period: 0300-0900 UTC
    • 0800 UTC validity period: 0900-1500 UTC
    • 1415 UTC validity period: 1500-2100 UTC
    • 2015 UTC validity period: 2100-0300 UTC
  5. Forecast for:
    • thermal gliders: Issued on request daily at 0700 UTC between April 1st and 30th September.
    • mountain wave gliders: Issued on request daily at 0500 UTC between October 1st and 31st March
  6. Forecast for balloons: Issued on request daily at: 0500 UTC
4.2.2   Verbal briefing

Verbal consultation is provided in Hungarian and English language H24.

Tel: (+36) 90-504-002

5.   Notification required from operators

Notification from operators in respect of briefing, consultation, flight documentation and other meteorological information needed by them (ref. ICAO Annex 3, 2.3) is normally required for non-scheduled intercontinental flights. Such notification should be received at least 6 hours before the expected time of departure.

6.   Air reports required from operators

Special aircraft observations and air reports shall be made by all aircraft whenever:

  1. severe turbulence or severe icing is encountered
  2. moderate turbulence, hail or cumulonimbus clouds are encountered during transonic or supersonic flight;
  3. other meteorological conditions for example, the enroute weather phenomena specified for SIGMET messages are encountered which, in the opinion of the pilot-in-command, may affect the safety or markedly affect the efficiency or other aircraft operations;
  4. wind shear encountered during the climb-out or approach phases of flights, not previously reported to the pilot-in-command, which in his/her opinion are likely to affect the safety of other aircraft operations.

7.   VOLMET service

Name of stationIdentification (Emission)FrequencyHoursTimeAerodromes/ areas includedContents and formats of REP and remarks
BUDAPESTBUDAPEST VOLMET(A3E)127.40 MHzH24Continuous H + 20-25Budapest
Praha
Bratislava
Arad
Bucuresti/OBeograd
Sofia
Warsawa
Wien
Budapest FIR
METAR TREND
METAR TREND
METAR TREND
METAR TREND
METAR TREND
METAR TREND
METAR TREND
METAR TREND
METAR TREND
SIGMET

8.   SIGMET service

Name of MWO/Location IndicatorHoursFIR or CTA servedType of SIGMET/ValiditySpecific proceduresATS unit servedAdditional information
BUDAPEST (OMSZ/RVO) (Hungarian Meteorological Service/Aviation and Severe Weather Forecasting Division) LHBPYMYCH24Budapest FIRSIGMET/4 HRNILBudapest ACCNIL
8.1   General

For the safety of air traffic, the National Meteorological Service maintains an area meteorological watch and warning service. The service consist partly of a continuous weather watch within Budapest FIR and the issuance of appropriate SIGMET and AIRMET information by Meteorological Watch Office and partly of the issuing of warnings for the respective aerodrome and subject to agreement, for other aerodromes by all aeronautical MET offices.

8.2   Area meteorological watch service

The area meteorological watch service is performed by the Hungarian Meteorological Service Aviation and Severe Weather Forecasting Division (RVO). The RVO issues information in the form of SIGMET messages about the occurrence or expected occurrence of one or several of the following signification meteorological phenomena:

  • thunderstorms1;
  • severe turbulence;
  • severe icing;
  • heavy sand storm/dust storm;
  • volcanic ash cloud *

* There is no known active volcano in Budapest FIR.

The SIGMETs are issued in abbreviations and plain language using ICAO abbreviations and are numbered consecutively for each day commencing at 01. Their period of validity is limited to less than 4 hours and less than 6 hours in case of volcanic ash cloud SIGMET.

8.2.1   SIGMET and AIRMET

SIGMET information for Budapest FIR will be broadcast by Budapest VOLMET.

AIRMET messages relevant to Budapest TMA will be included in the ATIS broadcast for Budapest Liszt Ferenc International Airport.

Transmission of SIGMET and AIRMET information will only be made by the ATC units of Budapest ATS centre in the case of equipment failure or when requested by the pilot.

Flight information sectors of Budapest ATS centre will communicate SIGMETand AIRMET for Budapest FIR without pilot request to aircraft operating on flight plan and maintaining radio communication.

8.2.2   SPECI and TAF AMD

SPECI and TAF AMD for foreign aerodromes are provided by the ATS units on pilot request only.

Flight information sectors of Budapest ATS centre will communicate SPECI and TAF AMD for domestic aerodromes individually to aircraft without pilot request.

8.3   Warning service by aerodrome meteorological service

Warnings for the protection of parked and moored aircraft or of other equipment at Budapest Liszt Ferenc International Airport are issued by aerodrome meteorological office if one or several of the following phenomena are expected to occur at the airport:

  • squall2;
  • thunderstorm;
  • frost3;
  • hail;
  • heavy rime deposit;
  • heavy snow;
  • freezing precipitation;
  • wind shear.

Differences from these criteria may be agreed upon locally.

The warnings are generally issued in English and Hungarian and are distributed in accordance with the distribution list.

  1. Area of widespread cumulonimbus clouds or cumulonimbus along a line (squall line) with little or no space between individual clouds or cumulonimbus embedded in cloud layers or obscured by haze.
  2. The warning is designated as "storm warning" and will be issued when the mean speed of the surface wind is expected to exceed 34 KT (Beaufort Scale 8) or when gusts in excess of 41 KT (Beaufort Scale 9) are expected to occur.
  3. A "frost warning" will be issued when the air temperature is expected to fall below 0 °C on those dates when protective measures have generally not yet been taken and also when a substantial deposit of hoarfrost, e.g. on wing surfaces, is expected.

9.   Ascent of radiosondes and balloons in Budapest FIR

Place of ascentTime of ascent
UTC
Characteristics of the balloon (mass, colour, dimension)Altitude
Budapest 4726N 01911E in radius of 200 kmDaily: 05:25, 11:25, 17:25, 23:252.0 kg white, diameter 2-15 m25000 - 35000 m
Szeged 4615N 02006E in radius of 200 kmDaily: 05:10, 11:10, 17:10, 23:102.0 kg white, diameter 2-15 m25000 - 35000 m