NOVEMBER 2003 AMERICAN METEOROLOGICAL SOCIETY | ne might think that solar flares, coronal mass ejections, and geomagnetic storms are phenomena that only interest space scientists. However, conditions on the sun, in the solar wind, and within the Earth’s magnetic field, otherwise known as “space weather,” can affect a wide variety of ground and space technologies. For example, solar and geomagnetic events can impact satellite operations, navigation, space shuttle and space activities, high-altitude polar flights, electric power distribution, long-line telephone communication, high-frequency (HF) radio communication, and geophysical exploration. As the nation’s reliance on technological systems grows, so does our vulnerability to space weather. The aviation industry is just one of the many user groups that are trying to understand how space weather impacts their operations and what can be done to mitigate disruptions. Airlines are becoming more concerned with flying transpolar routes, losing HF communication, radiation hazards to crews, and the possibility of global positioning system (GPS) errors. Many space weather hazards can be mitigated or avoided if reliable space weather forecasts are available. In response to this need, the federal government has formed the National Space Weather Program, an interagency program under the auspices of the Office of the Federal Coordinator for Meteorology started in 1994, to “achieve an active, synergistic interagency system to provide timely, accurate, and reliable space environment observations, specification, and forecasts.” Currently, space environmental support services are provided by the NOAA Space Environment Center (SEC) and the U.S. Air Force (USAF), which jointly operate the Space Weather Operations (SWO) Forecast and Analysis Center. It is the national and world warning center for disturbances that can affect people and equipment working in space, and provides forecasts, warnings, and alerts of solar and geomagnetic activity to users in government, industry, and the private sector. NOAA/SEC is the official source of space weather alerts and warnings for commercial and public sector customers. INTEGRATING SPACE WEATHER AND METEOROLOGICAL PRODUCTS FOR AVIATION