[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":498},["ShallowReactive",2],{"learn-\u002Flearn\u002Fhow-to-read-a-metar":3,"learn-nav-\u002Flearn\u002Fhow-to-read-a-metar":472},{"id":4,"title":5,"body":6,"date":397,"description":398,"draft":399,"extension":400,"faqs":401,"howTo":411,"keyTakeaways":422,"meta":423,"navigation":424,"path":425,"quiz":426,"seo":452,"series":453,"seriesOrder":434,"sources":454,"stem":469,"topic":470,"__hash__":471},"learn\u002Flearn\u002Fhow-to-read-a-metar.md","How to read a METAR",{"type":7,"value":8,"toc":387},"minimark",[9,21,27,32,54,70,74,77,83,86,213,216,220,224,247,273,276,280,295,336,340,372,376],[10,11,12,13,20],"p",{},"A ",[14,15,19],"a",{"href":16,"className":17},"\u002Flearn\u002Fglossary#gt-metar",[18],"glossary-link","METAR"," is a coded report of the weather actually observed at an aerodrome at a given time, and learning to read one straight off the page is a basic airmanship skill.",[22,23,24],"blockquote",{},[10,25,26],{},"This is general educational information, not operational, legal, or regulatory advice. Rules differ by authority and change over time. Always verify against current official sources and follow your operator's approved procedures.",[28,29,31],"h2",{"id":30},"what-a-metar-is-and-is-not","What a METAR is (and is not)",[10,33,34,35,39,40,45,46,53],{},"A METAR is an ",[36,37,38],"strong",{},"observation",": it describes conditions that were measured, not predicted. That makes it different from a ",[14,41,44],{"href":42,"className":43},"\u002Flearn\u002Fglossary#gt-taf",[18],"TAF",", which is a forecast. When the weather changes significantly between routine reports, a special report called a ",[36,47,48],{},[14,49,52],{"href":50,"className":51},"\u002Flearn\u002Fglossary#gt-speci",[18],"SPECI"," is issued using the same code form.",[10,55,56,57,63,64,69],{},"The METAR code is an international standard. The requirement to provide it sits in ",[14,58,62],{"href":59,"rel":60},"https:\u002F\u002Fstore.icao.int\u002Fen\u002Fannex-3-meteorological-service-for-international-air-navigation-1",[61],"nofollow","ICAO Annex 3",", and the exact code form is defined in the ",[14,65,68],{"href":66,"rel":67},"https:\u002F\u002Flibrary.wmo.int\u002Frecords\u002Fitem\u002F35713-manual-on-codes-international-codes-volume-i-1",[61],"WMO Manual on Codes (WMO No. 306)",". Because it is standardised, the same groups appear in the same order whether you are reading a report from London, Lagos, or Los Angeles, with a few regional conventions noted below.",[28,71,73],{"id":72},"a-worked-example","A worked example",[10,75,76],{},"Here is a typical European METAR:",[10,78,79],{},[80,81,82],"code",{},"METAR EGLL 181150Z 24012G22KT 9999 -RA FEW012 BKN025 11\u002F09 Q1004 NOSIG",[10,84,85],{},"Reading it group by group:",[87,88,89,101,107,117,131,141,175,181,195,207],"ul",{},[90,91,92,94,95,97,98,100],"li",{},[80,93,19],{}," is the report type. A routine report says ",[80,96,19],{},"; an unscheduled special says ",[80,99,52],{},".",[90,102,103,106],{},[80,104,105],{},"EGLL"," is the ICAO four-letter location indicator, here London Heathrow.",[90,108,109,112,113,116],{},[80,110,111],{},"181150Z"," is the day and time: the 18th of the month at 1150 UTC. The ",[80,114,115],{},"Z"," stands for Zulu, which is UTC. This is the single most common beginner trap, so read it as UTC, never as local time.",[90,118,119,122,123,126,127,130],{},[80,120,121],{},"24012G22KT"," is the wind: from 240 degrees at 12 knots, gusting 22 knots. ",[80,124,125],{},"VRB"," replaces the direction when the wind is variable, and a group such as ",[80,128,129],{},"210V270"," is added when the direction varies across a wide arc.",[90,132,133,136,137,140],{},[80,134,135],{},"9999"," is the visibility: 10 km or more. In the ICAO code, visibility is given in metres, so ",[80,138,139],{},"0800"," means 800 metres.",[90,142,143,146,147,150,151,154,155,158,159,162,163,166,167,170,171,174],{},[80,144,145],{},"-RA"," is the present weather: light rain. The intensity prefix is ",[80,148,149],{},"-"," for light, ",[80,152,153],{},"+"," for heavy, and nothing for moderate. Common descriptors include ",[80,156,157],{},"RA"," rain, ",[80,160,161],{},"SN"," snow, ",[80,164,165],{},"BR"," mist, ",[80,168,169],{},"FG"," fog, and ",[80,172,173],{},"TS"," thunderstorm.",[90,176,177,180],{},[80,178,179],{},"FEW012 BKN025"," describes the cloud: few at 1200 ft and broken at 2500 ft. Cloud base heights are in hundreds of feet above the aerodrome.",[90,182,183,186,187,190,191,194],{},[80,184,185],{},"11\u002F09"," is the air temperature (11 C) and dewpoint (9 C). A negative value carries the prefix ",[80,188,189],{},"M",", so ",[80,192,193],{},"M02"," means minus 2 C. The closer these two numbers are, the higher the humidity and the greater the risk of mist, fog, or icing.",[90,196,197,200,201,206],{},[80,198,199],{},"Q1004"," is the pressure setting (",[14,202,205],{"href":203,"className":204},"\u002Flearn\u002Fglossary#gt-qnh",[18],"QNH",") of 1004 hectopascals.",[90,208,209,212],{},[80,210,211],{},"NOSIG"," is a trend that says no significant change is expected in the next two hours.",[10,214,215],{},"Try it yourself below. Paste a METAR into the decoder and it explains each group the same way. It only explains the text you enter; it does not fetch live weather.",[217,218],"report-decoder",{"type":219},"metar",[28,221,223],{"id":222},"cloud-amounts-in-oktas","Cloud amounts in oktas",[10,225,226,227,234,235,240,241,246],{},"Cloud cover is reported in ",[36,228,229],{},[14,230,233],{"href":231,"className":232},"\u002Flearn\u002Fglossary#gt-oktas",[18],"oktas",", or eighths of the sky. The abbreviations map to ranges set out by the ",[14,236,239],{"href":237,"rel":238},"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.metoffice.gov.uk\u002Fservices\u002Ftransport\u002Faviation\u002Fregulated\u002Ftraining-resources-for-aviation\u002Fmetars-and-tafs",[61],"UK Met Office"," and the ",[14,242,245],{"href":243,"rel":244},"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.faa.gov\u002Fair_traffic\u002Fpublications\u002Fatpubs\u002Faim_html\u002Fchap7_section_1.html",[61],"FAA",":",[87,248,249,255,261,267],{},[90,250,251,254],{},[80,252,253],{},"FEW"," is few, 1 to 2 oktas.",[90,256,257,260],{},[80,258,259],{},"SCT"," is scattered, 3 to 4 oktas.",[90,262,263,266],{},[80,264,265],{},"BKN"," is broken, 5 to 7 oktas.",[90,268,269,272],{},[80,270,271],{},"OVC"," is overcast, 8 oktas.",[10,274,275],{},"A ceiling, for the purposes of approach minima, is generally the lowest broken or overcast layer.",[28,277,279],{"id":278},"cavok-and-the-pressure-trap","CAVOK and the pressure trap",[10,281,282,283,286,287,291,292,294],{},"When conditions are good enough, the visibility, weather, and cloud groups are replaced by the single word ",[80,284,285],{},"CAVOK"," (ceiling and visibility OK). Per the ",[14,288,290],{"href":237,"rel":289},[61],"Met Office",", ",[80,293,285],{}," means all three of these at once: visibility 10 km or more; no cloud below 5000 ft or below the highest minimum sector altitude, whichever is greater, and no cumulonimbus or towering cumulus at any height; and no weather significant to aviation.",[10,296,297,298,304,305,308,309,304,315,318,319,323,324,327,328,331,332,335],{},"The most useful EASA-versus-FAA contrast is the pressure group. The ICAO and EASA convention reports ",[36,299,300,301],{},"QNH in whole hectopascals with a leading ",[80,302,303],{},"Q",", for example ",[80,306,307],{},"Q1013",". The United States reports the ",[36,310,311,312],{},"altimeter setting in inches of mercury with a leading ",[80,313,314],{},"A",[80,316,317],{},"A2992",", as the ",[14,320,322],{"href":243,"rel":321},[61],"FAA AIM"," sets out. US METARs also report visibility in statute miles with an ",[80,325,326],{},"SM"," suffix (",[80,329,330],{},"10SM",") rather than in metres, and place extra automated data after the keyword ",[80,333,334],{},"RMK",". Set the wrong units in the wrong region and your altimeter will be badly out.",[28,337,339],{"id":338},"common-pitfalls","Common pitfalls",[87,341,342,348,360,366],{},[90,343,344,347],{},[36,345,346],{},"Time is UTC, not local."," Convert deliberately.",[90,349,350,353,354,359],{},[36,351,352],{},"Wind direction is degrees true in the written report."," The spoken winds you get from the tower or ",[14,355,358],{"href":356,"className":357},"\u002Flearn\u002Fglossary#gt-atis",[18],"ATIS"," for take-off and landing are degrees magnetic, so the two can differ by the local variation.",[90,361,362,365],{},[36,363,364],{},"Cloud heights are above the aerodrome,"," not above mean sea level.",[90,367,368,371],{},[36,369,370],{},"Watch the units by region:"," metres and hectopascals in the ICAO form, statute miles and inches of mercury in the US form.",[28,373,375],{"id":374},"in-pilot-efb","In Pilot EFB",[10,377,378,379,382,383,386],{},"Pilot EFB shows the ",[36,380,381],{},"decoded"," METAR alongside the ",[36,384,385],{},"raw"," text, and the raw report is always kept, never replaced, so you can check the plain-language decode against the original groups. A briefing you have already pulled stays readable with no signal, because your device is the source of truth for what you have saved. Pulling a fresh observation needs a connection. Pilot EFB is not a certified Electronic Flight Bag, so treat it as a study and planning aid and brief from your official source of record.",{"title":388,"searchDepth":389,"depth":389,"links":390},"",2,[391,392,393,394,395,396],{"id":30,"depth":389,"text":31},{"id":72,"depth":389,"text":73},{"id":222,"depth":389,"text":223},{"id":278,"depth":389,"text":279},{"id":338,"depth":389,"text":339},{"id":374,"depth":389,"text":375},"2026-06-17","A plain-language guide to decoding a METAR field by field, with a worked example and the EASA\u002FUK and FAA differences that trip pilots up.",false,"md",[402,405,408],{"q":403,"a":404},"What is the difference between a METAR and a TAF?","A METAR is an observation of the weather actually measured at an aerodrome, while a TAF is a forecast of what is expected. When the weather changes significantly between routine METARs, a special report called a SPECI is issued using the same code form.",{"q":406,"a":407},"Is the time in a METAR local or UTC?","It is always UTC. The day-and-time group ends in Z for Zulu, which is UTC, so 181150Z is the 18th of the month at 1150 UTC. Reading it as local time is the single most common beginner mistake.",{"q":409,"a":410},"What does CAVOK mean in a METAR?","CAVOK ('ceiling and visibility OK') replaces the visibility, weather and cloud groups when all three hold at once: visibility is 10 km or more, there is no cloud below 5000 ft or the highest minimum sector altitude (whichever is greater) and no cumulonimbus or towering cumulus, and there is no weather significant to aviation.",{"name":5,"steps":412},[413,414,415,416,417,418,419,420,421],"Identify the report type: METAR for a routine report, or SPECI for an unscheduled special.","Read the station and time: the four-letter ICAO location indicator, then the day and time, which is always UTC (the Z group).","Decode the wind: direction in degrees true and speed in knots, with any gusts shown after G.","Read the visibility: metres in the ICAO form, where 9999 means 10 km or more, or statute miles with SM in the US form.","Note the present weather: an intensity prefix of minus for light or plus for heavy, with descriptors such as RA, SN, FG or TS.","Decode the cloud: the amount as FEW, SCT, BKN or OVC, and the base in hundreds of feet above the aerodrome.","Read the temperature and dewpoint in Celsius, with M marking a negative value.","Set the pressure: QNH in hectopascals after Q, or the altimeter setting in inches of mercury after A in the US form.","Check the trend, for example NOSIG for no significant change expected in the next two hours.",null,{},true,"\u002Flearn\u002Fhow-to-read-a-metar",[427,436,444],{"q":428,"options":429,"answer":434,"explanation":435},"In a METAR, the time group 181150Z refers to which time zone?",[430,431,432,433],"Local time at the aerodrome","UTC (Zulu)","Whatever the observer's watch shows","Local time plus one hour",1,"The Z stands for Zulu, which is UTC. So 181150Z is the 18th of the month at 1150 UTC, never local time.",{"q":437,"options":438,"answer":389,"explanation":443},"What does the visibility group 9999 mean?",[439,440,441,442],"Exactly 9999 metres","Visibility is unknown","10 km or more","9999 feet","In the ICAO code, visibility is given in metres, and 9999 means 10 km or more.",{"q":445,"options":446,"answer":434,"explanation":451},"In the pressure group, what does a leading Q indicate, as in Q1004?",[447,448,449,450],"The altimeter setting in inches of mercury","QNH in whole hectopascals","The air temperature in Celsius","The visibility in kilometres","The ICAO and EASA convention reports QNH in whole hectopascals with a leading Q, while the US reports the altimeter setting in inches of mercury with a leading A.",{"title":5,"description":398},"decode-the-weather",[455,457,460,462,464,466],{"label":456,"url":243},"FAA Aeronautical Information Manual, Chapter 7 Section 1 (Meteorology)",{"label":458,"url":459},"FAA Aviation Weather Handbook (FAA-H-8083-28B)","https:\u002F\u002Fwww.faa.gov\u002Fregulationspolicies\u002Fhandbooksmanuals\u002Faviation\u002Ffaa-h-8083-28b-aviation-weather-handbook",{"label":461,"url":237},"UK Met Office: METARs and TAFs",{"label":463,"url":59},"ICAO Annex 3: Meteorological Service for International Air Navigation",{"label":465,"url":66},"WMO No. 306: Manual on Codes, Volume I.1",{"label":467,"url":468},"NOAA\u002FNWS Aviation Weather Center: METAR data","https:\u002F\u002Faviationweather.gov\u002Fdata\u002Fmetar\u002F","learn\u002Fhow-to-read-a-metar","Weather","OuVl_cuaVER1n7jxDxLreqm7rcBlUt_0J_o8r0dY2lk",{"related":473,"newer":484,"older":491,"series":496},[474,480,484],{"path":475,"title":476,"description":477,"date":478,"topic":470,"draft":399,"minutes":479,"series":422,"seriesOrder":422},"\u002Flearn\u002Freading-a-surface-analysis-chart","How to read a surface analysis chart","Decode a surface analysis chart: isobars and the pressure gradient, highs and lows, warm, cold and occluded fronts, and what the big picture tells you before you read the METAR.","2026-06-20",3,{"path":481,"title":482,"description":483,"date":478,"topic":470,"draft":399,"minutes":479,"series":422,"seriesOrder":422},"\u002Flearn\u002Fthe-international-standard-atmosphere","The International Standard Atmosphere (ISA)","What the ICAO International Standard Atmosphere is, its sea-level values and lapse rate, and how ISA deviation underpins altimetry, performance and density altitude.",{"path":485,"title":486,"description":487,"date":488,"topic":470,"draft":399,"minutes":489,"series":453,"seriesOrder":490},"\u002Flearn\u002Fhow-to-read-a-sigmet-and-airmet","How to read a SIGMET and an AIRMET","What SIGMETs and AIRMETs warn of, the phenomena codes, how long each stays valid, and a worked SIGMET decoded field by field, with the ICAO baseline and the US differences.","2026-06-18",5,4,{"path":492,"title":493,"description":494,"date":495,"topic":470,"draft":399,"minutes":490,"series":453,"seriesOrder":389},"\u002Flearn\u002Fhow-to-read-a-taf","How to read a TAF","Decode a Terminal Aerodrome Forecast, including the FM, BECMG, TEMPO and PROB change groups, the validity period, and how a forecast differs from a METAR observation.","2026-06-16",{"slug":453,"title":497,"part":434,"total":489,"prev":422,"next":491},"Decode the weather",1781989190882]