SIGMET for Radioactive Cloud

To warn pilot of potential danger posed by radioactive cloud to aircraft in flight, aircrew and passengers, International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) introduced the provision of SIGMET for radioactive cloud in November 2007.  Japan issued SIGMET for radioactive cloud in the event of the Fukushima nuclear accident in March 2011.  This was the first time the Hong Kong Observatory received this type of SIGMET.  To facilitate the retrieval of SIGMET for radioactive cloud, a new webpage for "SIGMET for Radioactive Cloud" has been made available on the Aviation Meteorological Information Dissemination System (AMIDS).  The SIGMET for radioactive cloud, together with other SIGMETs and advisories are also made available on the Global SIGMET Monitoring website (This link will open in a new windowwww.g-sigmetmon.weather.gov.hk) which has been recently developed by the Observatory for ICAO Meteorological Warnings Study Group (METWSG).

Figure 1  A sample layout of the Global SIGMET Monitoring website.