Weather and Operational Parameters

Available parameters in NOVA.

Asset parameters	Aircraft type limit set	Operational limit set
Cape index The convective available potential energy index (CAPE index) is the amount of energy a parcel of air would have if lifted a certain distance vertically through the atmosphere. Any value greater than 0 J/kg indicates instability and an increasing probability of thunderstorms and hail.
Dew point Dew point temperature. Available altitude range: 2-20000m
General icing Icing conditions were identified based on the analysis of temperature and relative humidity combinations. This method represents a conservative approach since no droplet size or cloud data was considered. At some points, this more conservative approach might lead to overestimations.
Gust factor The gust factor is defined as the difference between the peak wind gust of a 1 hour interval and the mean wind speed in the same period of time. Available altitude range: 10-10000m
Icing potential Icing is absolutely critical in aviation and in-flight icing on planes are the cause of multiple near-accidents or even crashes. Consequently, it is crucial for aviation to have reliable icing forecasts predicting the expected occurrence of icing on different altitudes and allowing for early circumnavigation. This parameter offers the highest accuracy with current technologies. 0-0.2: No icing, 0.2-0.4: Traces of icing, 0.4-0.6: Light icing, 0.6-0.8: Moderate icing, 0.8-1: Heavy icing.
KP-Index The KP-index gives a quantification of the disturbance of the magnetic field of the earth. Sun storms can disrupt GNSS (GPS) signals causing GNSS receivers to give misleading or wrong information. NOAA provides data for the period of 7 days. The Kp index is a quasi-logarithmic local index ranging from 0 to 9: 0-4 quiet period, 4-5 mild activity 5-9, high intensity storm.
Lifted index The lifted index is the difference between the temperature of the environment and that of an air parcel lifted adiabatically to a given pressure height in the troposphere, usually 500 hPa which is an index for instability in the air mass. The atmosphere at the given height is stable for positive values of the lifted index and unstable for negative values. When the value falls below -2, thunderstorms are anticipated and for lower values, especially those below -6, severe weather is expected.
Outside air temperature The outside air temperature (OAT). Available altitude range: 2-20000m
Spread Spread or more precisely - Dew Point Spread , or dew point depression, is the difference between the air temperature and the dew point. A small spread indicates potential for fog/ frost etc. ​ We established that dew point depression should always be ≥0°C. Thus, we report a dew point depression of 0°C if the dew point is above the air temperature. Available altitude range: 2-20000m.
Wind gusts The mean wind gusts within a 1 hour interval. Wind gust includes the mean wind. Available altitude range: 10-20000m
Wind speed The mean wind speed within a 1 hour interval. Available altitude range: 10-20000m
cloud base The cloud base gives the lowest altitude of the visible portion of a cloud.
cloud ceiling The cloud ceiling is defined as the height of the lowest cloud layer covering more than half of the sky. A value of -666 denotes that there si no ceiling. Still, clouds can be there, covering less than 50% of the sky. Refer to cloud base as parameter.
cloud cover high Cloud coverage between 7-10 km above ground level. (0-100 %)
cloud cover low Cloud coverage between 0-2 km above ground level. (0-100 %)
cloud cover medium Cloud coverage between 2-7 km above ground level. (0-100 %)
cloud cover total The total cloud coverage is the fraction of the sky covered by all the visible clouds. (0-100 %)
precipitation Accumulated precipitation within a 1 hour interval. The following categories are used to classify rainfall intensity: < 2.5 mm/h Light rain 2.5-7.6 mm/h Moderate rain > 7.6 mm/h Heavy rain
precipitation prob. Probability of rain within a 1 hour interval.
relative humidity Relative humidity within a 1 hour interval. Available altitude range: 2-20000m
thunderstorm prob. Probability of a thunderstorm to occur within a 1 hour interval. (0-100 %)
visibility Visibility on ground.