Any Unknown or Unlisted Aircraft Manufacturer
Air Traffic Control Fully Certified
Air Traffic Control Time Certified In Pos 1 (yrs) 7
Workload; Troubleshooting; Situational Awareness; Communication Breakdown; Confusion; Distraction
ATC Issue All Types; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Published Material / Policy; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Clearance; Inflight Event / Encounter Weather / Turbulence
Human Factors; Procedure; Weather
I was working the R-Side at sector 24 and we had a line of weather that started halfway through my airspace and went well north out of ZHU airspace. When I sat down the sector multiple aircraft were deviating south of this line and going to CEW VORTAC when able. ZJX still had W151 airspace active surface to FL600. Halfway through my session they called and told my D-Side no more traffic can come this way. We had to scramble to reroute guys north into the weather. I asked them why they couldn't cap the airspace and they said they couldn't. I went and talked to my Traffic Management Unit (TMU) to find out why they couldn't and they said they called them three hours prior and said that this was going to happen and to cap it. This is a common thing with ZJX and weather. We go through this every year and for whatever reason they will not cap airspace when needed for weather. If they would have gotten the breeding area of that airspace released; it would have allowed us to keep deviating south of the line. It really seems like they make no attempt to do anything at all.When we have a serious weather event and a lot of deviations; cap airspace to help the flow of traffic. We have one of the busiest weather area in the country during the spring and summer months.
ZHU Controller reported deviations due to weather that may have been reduced if the airspace had been better controlled.