Heavy snowfall at Brussels Airport - 30/12/2005

[luchtzak]

Few cancellations, slightly more delays than usual at Brussels Airport. Yet how will the airport cope with the freezing rain and snow that is coming to us in the next hours?

http://www.biac.be/arrivals/
http://www.biac.be/departures/

Actual TAF: EBBR 301500Z 301601 17016G28KT 5000 -SN SCT010 BKN015 TEMPO 1621 0500 SN BKN005 BECMG 2023 FZRASN RA SCT006 BKN008 BECMG 2301 9999 NSW SCT020

http://www.piloten.be/cgi-bin/meteo/wea ... rport=ebbr

TAF decoded on http://www.skystef.be/metar-decoder.htm

Location...........: EBBR
Day of month.......: 30
Time...............: 15:00 UTC
Wind...............: true direction = 170 degrees; speed = 16 knots with gusts of 28 knots
Visibility.........: 5000 meter
Weather............: light snow
Cloud coverage.....: scattered (3 to 4 oktas) at 1000 feet above aerodrome level
Cloud coverage.....: broken (5 to 7 oktas) at 1500 feet above aerodrome level
Next 2hrs temporary:
Visibility.........: 1621 meter
Visibility.........: 500 meter
Weather............: snow
Cloud coverage.....: broken (5 to 7 oktas) at 500 feet above aerodrome level
Next 2hrs gradually:
Visibility.........: 2023 meter
Weather............: freezing rain snow
Weather............: rain
Cloud coverage.....: scattered (3 to 4 oktas) at 600 feet above aerodrome level
Cloud coverage.....: broken (5 to 7 oktas) at 800 feet above aerodrome level
Next 2hrs gradually:
Visibility.........: 2301 meter
Visibility.........: 10 kilometers or more
no significant weather
Cloud coverage.....: scattered (3 to 4 oktas) at 2000 feet above aerodrome level

News reports in Belgium advice people to stay at home and to not travel by car as the roads will become very dangerous.

[blackhawk]

rom the departure ATIS

30/12/2005 @ 1700

AIRPORT CLSD FROM 1715 UNTIL 1745

icon_question.gif

Regards,
Sebas

[Vinnie-Winnie]

had a quick look and it looks like all VG flights are cancelled...

Is there a problem between fokker 50's and the snowman?

Vincent

[Skystef]

Indeed: the airport has been closed for about 1/2 hour for the really necessary rwy cleaning. More delays are possible, especially freezing rain may give a again temporary closure of the airport (slippery taxiways, aprons, etc.)

Actual status is

SPECI EBBR 301703Z 15019G32KT 1500 R25L/P1500N R25R/P1500N R02/1400D SN BR SCT002 BKN013 M02/M03 Q1001 25190056 20190054 75190050 TEMPO 0500 BKN005=

A translation via the metar-decoder on my web (not a TAF decoder Bart 8) )

Report is a SPECIAL report
Location...........: EBBR
Day of month.......: 30
Time...............: 17:03 UTC
Wind...............: true direction = 150 degrees; speed = 19 knots with gusts of 32 knots
Visibility.........: 1500 meter
Runway visibilty...: on runway 25 Left, touchdown zone visual range is variable from a minimum of more than 1500 meters until a maximum of meters
Runway visibilty...: on runway 25 Right, touchdown zone visual range is variable from a minimum of more than 1500 meters until a maximum of meters
Runway visibilty...: on runway 02, touchdown zone visual range is variable from a minimum of 1400 meters until a maximum of meters, and decreasing
Weather............: snow
Weather............: mist
Cloud coverage.....: scattered (3 to 4 oktas) at 200 feet above aerodrome level
Cloud coverage.....: broken (5 to 7 oktas) at 1300 feet above aerodrome level
Temperature........: -02 degrees Celsius
Dewpoint...........: -03 degrees Celsius
QNH (msl pressure).: 1001 hectopascal
Runway state.......: Runway 25 (or 25 Left): damp, contamination 51% to 100%, deposit less than 1 mm deep, friction coefficient 0.56
Runway state.......: Runway 20 (or 20 Left): damp, contamination 51% to 100%, deposit less than 1 mm deep, friction coefficient 0.54
Runway state.......: Runway 25 Right: damp, contamination 51% to 100%, deposit less than 1 mm deep, friction coefficient 0.50
Next 2hrs temporary:
Visibility.........: 500 meter
Cloud coverage.....: broken (5 to 7 oktas) at 500 feet above aerodrome level

[luchtzak]

Thanks for the update Skystef, keep us up-to-date

Is there a problem between fokker 50's and the

London City is business-orientated, cancellations during Christmas-period might occur.

[Skystef]

Thanks for the update Skystef, keep us up-to-date

Will be right in the middle of it as airport duty calls this night , hope to get there on time.

[Skystef]

Meanwhile the first frozen rain called "ice pellets" (is not freezing rain) are starting to fall @ airport. Still negative temperatures along coast, it will be for hours that there will be risk for freezing rain, as ice pellets are the first step for the very very dangerous freezing rain.

[Dreamflight]

http://www.piloten.be/cgi-bin/meteo/wea ... rport=ebbr

TAF decoded on http://www.skystef.be/metar-decoder.htm

Nice tool, Skystef - Thanks

Grtz,

[Filip146]

To...
EDDK..Cologne : SN2718 Geneva, SN3748 Sevilla, Finnair 817 Helsinki
EDDL..Duesseldorf : SN2178 MAnchester
LFQQ..Lille : SN3126 Bologna

SN3194 from Turin possibly diverted to Strasbourg.

[Skystef]

http://www.piloten.be/cgi-bin/meteo/wea ... rport=ebbr

TAF decoded on http://www.skystef.be/metar-decoder.htm

Nice tool, Skystef - Thanks

Grtz,

U R welcome.

Meanwhile there is light freezing rain since 1850 local time. Thanks to labor work of the RWY cleaners (read firemen) the airport is still open on rwy 20.

An excerpt from ATIS: RSCD RWY20 COMPACTED SNOW BA444 SOME TWYS AND APRON SLIPPERY DEP RWY20 TRL FL055 TWY AND APRON ARE SLIPPERY. SNOW CLEARING IN PROGRESS

[Avro]

Does that mean that they've put some compacted snow on the runway to have less problems with freezing rain on concrete

Chris

[luchtzak]

Does that mean that they've put some compacted snow on the runway to have less problems with freezing rain on concrete

The snow that fell is very compact, the ideal snow for skiing you could say. They will never put snow on the runway on purpose.

[Avro]

What does the compacted snow in the ATIS message refer to then ? I'm sorry I'm a bit slow tonight I studied too much today

Chris

[Skystef]

What does the compacted snow in the ATIS message refer to then ? I'm sorry I'm a bit slow tonight I studied too much today

Chris

Is one of the ten precipitation forms which may occur on the runway.
They are: dry, damped, wet/puddles, rime or frost, dry snow, wet snow, slush, ice, compacted snow, frozen ruts or ridges.

Meanwhile the temperature has rised just above 0°C and the airport remained open. A big hooray for the cleaners team @ EBBR.

[Sebas]

What does the compacted snow in the ATIS message refer to then ? I'm sorry I'm a bit slow tonight I studied too much today

Chris

Is one of the ten precipitation forms which may occur on the runway.
They are: dry, damped, wet/puddles, rime or frost, dry snow, wet snow, slush, ice, compacted snow, frozen ruts or ridges.

Meanwhile the temperature has rised just above 0°C and the airport remained open. A big hooray for the cleaners team @ EBBR.

Thanks for all this information SkyStef & Bart , I added your METAR decoder to my bookmarks and deleted my old metar decoder site, the decoded information of your script is much better structured! Thanks 8) .

EBBR was eventually 55 minutes closed, from 1715z to 1810z (although BIAC shows that there were movements on runway 20 during that period).

EBOS and EBCI were/(are) also closed.

Anyone knows what happened with TUB5188 TENERIFE (DIVERTED) GCTS-EBOS ? To which airport is it diverted? BIAC also mentions a TUB5188 flight: TUB5188 30/12 21:30 Cologne. Although it's already 22:45 local time when I'm writing this BIAC still doesn't show a DELAYED/DIVERTED/CANCELLED message. No information about this flight on the website of Cologne airport.

Regards,
Sebas

[Avro]

Thanks for the info Stef

Chris