Guided path
Decode the weather
Start with the raw reports and forecasts a pilot reads before a flight and learn to decode them in order, from the routine observation to the warnings that change a plan. Work through each one and the codes stop getting in the way.
5 guides in order
- Weather
How to read a METAR
A plain-language guide to decoding a METAR field by field, with a worked example and the EASA/UK and FAA differences that trip pilots up.
5 min read Read - Weather
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.
4 min read Read - Weather
How to read an ATIS
What the ATIS broadcast contains, how the information letter and runway-in-use work, how it differs from a METAR, and the EASA/UK and FAA conventions that trip pilots up.
7 min read Read - Weather
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.
5 min read Read - Briefing
How to read a PIREP
Decode a pilot weather report field by field, understand the UA and UUA types and the slash-coded elements, and see how a PIREP fills the gaps between weather stations.
4 min read Read