Date: 201409
Local time of day: 1201-1800
Location: ZJX.ARTCC, FL
Light: Daylight
Aircraft: Large Transport; Low Wing; 2 Turbojet Eng
Operator: Air Carrier
Operating under: Part 121
Flight plan: IFR
Mission: Passenger
Flight phase: Cruise
Airspace: Class A ZJX
ATC / advisory: Center ZJX
Second aircraft: Large Transport
Reporter organization: Government
Reporter function: Enroute
Reporter qualification: Air Traffic Control Fully Certified
Human factors: Confusion; Communication Breakdown; Distraction; Situational Awareness; Workload; Time Pressure
Anomaly: Airspace Violation All Types; Deviation - Track / Heading All Types; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Clearance; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Published Material / Policy; Inflight Event / Encounter Weather / Turbulence
When detected: In-flight
Result: Air Traffic Control Provided Assistance; Air Traffic Control Separated Traffic
Contributing factors: Weather; Human Factors; Procedure; Airspace Structure
Primary problem: Weather

Narrative: A large amount of heavy and extreme precipitation was over the western coast of the Florida panhandle approximately from the vicinity of LGC VOR down to south of TPA.  A large amount of aircraft departing/arriving the TPA and MCO complexes were deviating off course along the west coast of Florida on the sector boundaries of ZJX 30; 17; 85; 16; 86; 11 and 88 as well as ZMA sector 08.  There was no direction from ZJX TMU on how these aircraft should be routed to avoid the weather impacted airspace and to keep them from active warning area airspace W-151 A-F.  The aircraft were all deviating in the same general airspace in between these sectors so the amount of controller to controller coordination was very high.  I had to accept a lot of point outs on aircraft deviating while climbing and descending.  There were several occasions where the data blocks of these aircraft overlapped due to the volume of aircraft deviating in the same area.  ZMA had no direction on how to route these aircraft around this weather impacted airspace and were handing the flights off to me on routes and headings that aimed the aircraft right towards the warning area airspace.  Aircraft Z; Aircraft X and Aircraft Y were just three of multiple aircraft that entered my airspace without prior coordination from the controllers' working the flights.  There were so many flights in this same small confined area of airspace that the data blocks were easily missed and coordination was not performed.  There was also confusion among the West; Central and Gulf area supervisors at ZJX as to what arrival and departure routes were open and closed into the TPA and MCO complexes.  West area sup would advise me and sector 28 that the FOOXX arrival was closed and flights were to be routed east over TAY and appropriate arrivals or out over the Gulf of Mexico over the Blond arrival.  The Gulf Area supervisor then several minutes later came up to our sectors and told us that we were to be routing everyone over the BLOND arrival.  The point outs and hand offs we were receiving at sector 30 and 28 were on the FOOXX arrival deviating to the west and descending early as if the local flow procedure FOOXX LOW was in affect.  We had no coordination or direction on what flow procedure was actually in effect; if any.  ZJX TMU should have developed and issued Traffic Management Infinitives that would have routed the aircraft departing and arriving the TPA and MCO complexes away from the weather impacted airspace and clear of the W-151 SAA airspace.  TMU should have clearly communicated their plans with all area supervisors and impacted neighboring facilities.  There should have also been ground stop and miles in trail actions taken to slow up the amount of air traffic volume entering this confined airspace.




Synopsis: ZJX Controller describes a session where aircraft are deviating due to weather and confusion on where to take certain aircraft and what routes were available.