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SESK: Stuff Everyone Should Know · sesk.info/pilot-winds-aloft-1500

On a winds and temperatures aloft forecast (FB), why might the 3,000-foot wind be blank?

That level is within 1,500 feet of the station elevation.

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  1. The winds at that level are calm
  2. Winds below 6,000 feet are never forecast
  3. That level is within 1,500 feet of the station ✔

Why: No winds are forecast when a level is within 1,500 feet of the station's elevation, so high-elevation stations leave the lower levels blank. Temperatures are not forecast within 2,500 feet of the station.

Huh, didn't know that: FB wind directions are referenced to true north, and speeds are in knots.

The dad joke
I checked the winds aloft. They said they'd rather not talk about it below 1,500 feet.
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References

Answer: That level is within 1,500 feet of the station. No winds are forecast when a level is within 1,500 feet of the station's elevation, so high-elevation stations leave the lower levels blank. Temperatures are not forecast within 2,500 feet of the station.

  1. Pilot's Handbook of Aeronautical Knowledge FAA-H-8083-25C, Chapter 13 www.faa.gov/regulations_policies/handbooks_manuals/aviation/faa-h-8083-25c.pdf
    No winds are forecast when a given level is within 1,500 feet of the station elevation
    Checked 2026-10-09.

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