Date: 201207
Local time of day: 1801-2400
Location: ZDC.ARTCC, VA
Weather elements / visibility: Thunderstorm
Aircraft: Any Unknown or Unlisted Aircraft Manufacturer
ATC / advisory: Center ZDC
Reporter organization: Government
Reporter function: Enroute
Reporter qualification: Air Traffic Control Developmental
Anomaly: ATC Issue All Types; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Other / Unknown; Inflight Event / Encounter Weather / Turbulence
Detector: Person Air Traffic Control
When detected: In-flight
Result: General None Reported / Taken
Contributing factors: Procedure; Airspace Structure; Weather
Primary problem: Weather

Narrative: A line of thunderstorms running from FAY to OHPEA developed; with gaps to the West of FAY; immediately South of ECG and East of OHPEA. I took the sector and airplanes both in my stratum (FL360 and above) and below were making their way through the gap South of ECG. Fifteen minutes later; the R-34 Controller told the R-35 Controller that the Navy was refusing point-outs through W-72; which made the gap East of OHPEA unusable. This coincided with the gap South of ECG closing; while both 35 and 09 had airplanes deviating East of DIW looking for a gap to proceed North; with the airspace rapidly narrowing to the East between the thunderstorms and W-122. Meanwhile; airplanes continued to come North from Jacksonville Center along the Atlantic Routes and J-121; and ultimately; 35 and 09 vectored airplanes in a loop toward ILM and the gap near FAY before proceeding to TYI and points North. The sector with the western gap; 38 was already busy before we funneled our airplanes through it. That we continued to receive a basically normal flow of aircraft for 20 minutes after we began circling aircraft back to the West was difficult to understand. I take responsibility for not acting sooner to give up on the gap South of ECG and rerouting airplanes to the West as the best option. While separation was apparently maintained throughout; I had as many as 20 airplanes over this time period maneuvering in a 40-mile square with three or four altitudes in use. I'm not sure what can be done procedurally. However; (A) Thunderstorms have arisen over Eastern North Carolina frequently this summer; to the extent that traffic is either greatly restricted or shut off completely. (B) The Warning Areas bordering the coastline from W-122 East of the Carolina's to W-107 East of New Jersey are invariably hot from the early morning through 11 p.m. during weekdays. (C) While thunderstorms build to shut us off; the transition is at least uncomfortable if not barely manageable. I feel that our current approach to routing airplanes away from thunderstorms in this airspace is much too reactive. If the weather precludes assigning aircraft parallel courses at the same altitude heading North and South through 09/35 and 34/50; then I am telling my supervisors to get all of the warning areas or at least an assurance that they'll take point-outs; at least above a given altitude. There should be a definitive answer within 5 minutes from TMU or MOC or whoever has the job of talking to the Navy as to whether we can use the warning areas. If the answer is no; then we should treat any gaps being used by aircraft as closing and begin routing airplanes into ZNY oceanic airspace or over points West of 09/35. Whether this becomes the basis for any procedural changes or not; I intend to reroute aircraft independently of TMU and supervisory approval in the future if a situation like this one (e.g.; warning airspace unusable with parallel courses unavailable for North-South aircraft) arises.




Synopsis: ZDC Controller described an unsafe condition during severe weather activity that was restricting available routes. The military's refusal to provide relief in adjacent Warning Areas complicated the problem even more.