Define weather hazard and give examples relevant to RAWS interpretation.

• A. Weather hazards are conditions that adversely affect flight safety (e.g., thunderstorms, icing, low visibility, high winds).
• B. Weather hazards are only storms with lightning.
• C. Weather hazards are non-weather events that affect aviation.
• D. Weather hazards are only fog and rain.

Answer: (A)

Weather hazards are conditions that adversely affect flight safety, meaning they can compromise controllability, performance, or visibility. When interpreting RAWS data, you’re looking for signs that these hazards could be present: strong or gusty winds, changing wind directions, low visibility due to fog or heavy precipitation, and temperatures that can lead to icing in suitable moisture conditions. Thunderstorms exemplify a major hazard because they bring severe turbulence, gust fronts, hail, and lightning; icing risk arises where freezing temperatures meet moisture, especially within clouds or precipitation; and reduced visibility can result from fog, heavy rain or snow, or blowing snow. High winds and gusts are hazardous for takeoff and landing and can occur even when other indicators are mild. So the broad definition—conditions that jeopardize flight safety with concrete examples like thunderstorms, icing, low visibility, and high winds—best captures the concept. The other options are too narrow or focus on non-aviation situations, which is why they don’t fit RAWS interpretation as well.